


Protocol 74

by NatashaRS



Category: Marvel, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Assassination Attempt(s), Attempted Murder, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Caw Caw Motherfucker, Denial of Feelings, Drunkenness, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Identity Porn, M/M, Magic, Plot, Pre-Slash, Secret Identity, Slash, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Steve Rogers Is a Good Bro, Stony - Freeform, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Is Not Helping, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-28
Updated: 2016-04-08
Packaged: 2018-02-06 12:45:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 25,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1858554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NatashaRS/pseuds/NatashaRS
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world where Iron Man's true identity is a mystery, Tony Stark battles alcoholism and the burden of his secrets. As if his troubles aren't bad enough, an old and long forgotten enemy has risen, and they seek Stark's life. The only person that stands in their way is the legendary Captain America. He will do everything in his power to protect Tony, but at what cost?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1 - Avengers Assemble

**Author's Note:**

> This work was written for mrs-danny-gold (http://mrs-danny-gold.tumblr.com/) as part of the bi-annual SteveTonyFest
> 
> \---------
> 
> This story takes place in a universe where Tony Stark doesn't reveal that he is Iron Man. The only person that knows is James Rhodes, who sometimes wears the suit in place of Tony. Tony has ways of masking his arc reactor so that no one knows about it - not that he spends much time outside of his lab. The relationship between him and Steven Rogers is slowly built throughout the story, but it does end in love.
> 
> PS: The size of each chapter varies greatly depending on what the chapter is about.

"Iron Man is my personal bodyguard."

 

~*~

 

"Welcome to the 21st century, Captain America."

 

~*~

 

"The world needs heroes, but we don't need to work for SHIELD. Let's make our own team."

 

~*~

 

"Welcome to the mansion. This is JARVIS."

 

~*~

 

"We're facing a worldwide threat. I think it’s time for the world to meet its new heroes."

 

~*~

 

**Avengers Assemble!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm rewriting the chapters to make them better. This is the first one to get a makeover. The others will soon follow.

"Captain, are you reading me?"

"Loud and clear, shell-head. Have you established contact with any of the others?"

"No, nothing’s working. This damn black fog is unnatural and it’s everywhere. I should be able to use my scanners, but even those aren’t working. I don’t usually expect this much from Hydra"

Steve gave a short laugh and smiled. “You’d be surprised.”

He carefully made his way around the maze of crates that filled the warehouse and separated him from his teammates. Nearly blinded by the invasive black air, he didn’t see the rotted pieces of wood on the ground until his foot met them. Observing them carefully, his smile faded as he came to the realization that they belonged to the crates around him. This place was old, and likely it hadn’t been occupied in a while. Something was definitely wrong here - very, very wrong.

“Iron Man, I’m starting to think that this might not be Hydra.”

“What do you mean? Captain? I’m having trouble-” The line went dead.

Steve’s pulse hastened only ever so slightly, but it was true that he worried. The coms were dead, it was impossible to see, and now even the bad guy was an unknown. It was starting to look like the best possible option to pursue was a retrieval of his teammates followed by a retreat. The decision was made and he began to turn around, but something stopped him. Out of the thick fog came an eerie blue glow, bright and unnatural. In the back of his mind, where his primitive nature was stored, a voice screamed in his head, telling him to run, but he didn’t. He didn’t know why, but his feet carried him around the crates to the source of the glow. It grew brighter and brighter as he approached, and the urge to discover it’s heart grew deeper and deeper. Finally, he rounded a corner, clenching his fists as he did so, and then he stopped.

In an area larger than the passageways he’d been walking along was a single woman. She was the source of the glow - or, more specifically, her hair was. Length wise, it probably reached below her waist, but it was hard to tell as it seemed to float about her like normal hair might do in a zero-gravity environment. Peacefully, calmly, it drifted slowly in the air like the gentle motion of a sleepy stream, but there was also something dangerous about it’s intense radiation of color. The bright blue shone around the whole space, splashing the woman’s ivory face with color, only adding to her unearthly appearance.

Steve was not intimidated by this, albeit he was worried. He met her eyes directly, and her lips just barely curled up in a sinister manner. He noticed then that her eyes also glowed with that ghastly blue light, shining brightly towards him. Slowly, he lifted his hand to his ear and clicked his comm.

“I don’t know if you can hear me, but we’ve got trouble. This isn’t Hydra.”, he said, eyes still on her.

“I’m sure he already knows that, Captain Rogers, for he’s running into trouble of his own right now.”, she addressed him, without moving her lips except to increase her creepy smile.

The captain looked at her grimly, not responding.

“I repeat, this is Captain America, we’ve got big trouble. Does anyone read me?”

The mysterious woman closed her eyes and slowly shook her head back and forth like the mother of a stubborn child.

“It would be wise to listen, Captain.” she said again without moving.

“Who are you and what game are you playing?”, he asked with a glare.

“Don’t be so mad, games are fun.”, the voice echoed inside his head. She followed her statement with a step forward, approaching him.

“Don’t.”, he said shortly, hand moving to his shield in one swift motion.

“Don’t what?”, this time the words were whispered in his ear.

A cold hand was on his chin, and another on his shoulder. Stepping back, he turned to face the spirit-like figure.

“Don’t touch me.”

“I’m afraid you can’t stop me, Captain.”, she said telepathically again, her hands slowly drawing down his chest and side and stopping at his waist. Her glowing eyes followed his body up and then back down once, and she began to pace, keeping one hand in contact with his waist as she did so.

"You are as handsome as they say, Captain."

“Ma’am, I don’t know who you are, but this needs to stop.”

"Oh, and so polite too. What a gentleman."

She stopped in front of him, raising her hand up to his jaw. Steve reacted immediately, grabbing her arm gently, but firmly.  
  
"Ma'am..."

"Captain? Are you there?", his earpiece burst with volume and Steve's focus wavered, but his eyes remained locked on the woman.

"Iron Man, I've got a situation."  
  
"Well, I do too. It's an emergency."  
  
"What kind of an emergency?"  
  
There was a short pause in which repulsor blasts replaced Iron Man’s voice. Steve frowned.

"Iron Man..."

"Stark's been attacked."

"What?! How could this happen?!", his focus drifted completely and his eyes broke contact with the woman for just a second. When he looked back up, she was gone and the dense, black fog was lifting.

"I have contact with the other Avengers and the fog is clearing. It looks like there's no longer any reason for our mysterious enemies to keep us here.", Iron Man told him.

Steve turned towards the entrance of the building so he could leave. After all, all he’d found was fog and nothing more, not even another person. This place was totally empty.

"It was a setup." He punched the nearest crate.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 has been re-done.

“Mr. Stark, this is a serious issue.”, Captain America said to the back of the inventor’s head.

 

A hand came off and lazily brushed the air aside. “Captain, people try to kill me all the time - it’s a part of being rich and famous. Now, I’m pretty busy here, so can you leave my lab?”

 

The Captain didn’t move as Tony Stark went back to his work fiddling with something foreign and complex. This was no minor issue to be brushed aside and he had no idea why it was being treated like it was.

 

“With all due respect, sir, this wasn’t like most attempts on your life. Whoever planned this had the means to distract the entire team of Avengers, and all for the purpose of accessing you. You’re in real danger here.”

 

Tony huffed and set down his tools, turning around to face the star-spangled Avenger. Lifting what looked like high-tech goggles from his eyes and crossing his arms stiffly before speaking.

 

“Look, Captain, I’ve got a lot of enemies - and I mean *a lot*. People hate me for all sorts of things, and I’m sure that quite a few of them could pull this off. This is nothing unusual or anything to be concerned about. And, if you really want reassurance, you can rest peacefully knowing that a  S.H.I.E.L.D. team has opened an investigation on the matter. They’re qualified and I’m sure they’ll handle this just fine. ”

 

Steve’s slammed his head on a nearby empty table. “You’re not taking this seriously. You could’ve been hurt or killed. S.H.I.E.L.D. won’t be able to protect you against a threat capable of fooling us like this.”

 

“They are perfectly fine-”

 

“No, Mr. Stark. You need to have Iron Man with you at all times now.”

 

Tony took a step toward the Captain, glaring and pointing his finger. “The Avengers *need* Iron Man, and you need to drop this.”

 

Steve held his ground. “*You* need Iron Man, Stark. After all, he is *your* body guard.”

 

The inventor threw up his arms. “Why do you even care? No one else on the Avengers is as technologically capable as Iron Man. Having him always with me just isn’t possible, just like it wasn’t possible today. I was at a meeting and you needed him, so get that in your head. When it comes to matters of national security, my life is miniscule.”, he finished with a huff.

 

“Is it really, Mr. Stark? I’d have to argue that you’re the most important man when it comes to national security.”

 

Tony’s face softened a little and he lowered the volume of his voice. “Why’s that?”

 

“You fund the Avengers and provide us with a home. It’s because of you that we can protect this country...this planet.”

 

Tension quickly returned to Stark’s face as he clenched his jaw and spun back around to his work. “Yeah, well you’ll get my money when I die, so it doesn’t really matter if I’m dead or alive.”

 

Steve’s breath was caught in his chest; he had no idea that Tony was planning on leaving his fortune to the Avengers.

 

“Mr. Stark, that’s not what I meant....”, he said in a softer voice, raising his hand towards the other man.

 

“You know very well that is is.”, Tony replied without so much as looking up from his electronics.

 

The Captain dropped his hands and huffed; there would be no getting through to him. His blue eyes rested on the back of the other man for a moment before he turned, letting out a sigh and leaving the lab. The door slammed shut with a heavy thud and after waiting a few seconds, Tony Stark dropped into a stool and collapsed onto the table before him.

 

For quite a few minutes, the technological genius didn’t move. Instead he just sat there, cheek pressed against the cold metal of the table, thinking about his encounter with Captain America. At once his was glad to have the piercing eyes of the tall blond off of his back, but it was accompanied with a hollow emptiness in his chest. He hadn’t been fair to the other man, but he couldn’t explain that he was Iron Man. There would be so many issues with having his “body guard” assigned to him 24/7. For one, there was no actual body guard. It was always Rhodey in the suit when he needed to make an appearance with it. For another, the world actually needed Iron Man a lot more than they needed Tony Stark.

 

Finally gathering enough energy, Tony pushed himself up from the table and slumped over some data he had been going through. Something was slightly off with the monitored energy readings in the mansion, but he was exactly certain what. The most reasonable answer was that it was an error in the system, but that also meant it might take a while to figure out where the error was so it could be solved. It wasn’t the most interesting thing for him to do at the moment, but the busy work would calm his mind. Putting off the upsetting conversation he’d just had, he poured over the data flashing by his eyes. Lost in his work, Tony barely heard JARVIS speaking to him.

 

“Sir, can you hear me?”

 

“What is it, JARVIS?” Tony finally replied, not looking up from his work.

 

“Rhodey is attempting to contact you.”

 

“Oh, why didn’t you say so?”

 

“I have been, sir.”

 

Tony’s eyes finally left the screen. “Oops, well put him through.”

 

Wiping his eyes and moving over to a vertically displayed monitor, Tony mustered up his best smile. James Rhodes appeared on the screen before him, and he certainly did not return the friendly expression.

 

“Tony, we need to talk.”

 

“Hello to you too, Rhodey. How’ve you been?”

 

“Not the time for games Tony, this is serious.”

 

Tony’s fake smile dropped and he turned to grab a bottle of beer that was nearby. Taking a swing, he looked at Rhodes again.

 

“I don’t have time for this. The high-and-mighty Captain America already bitched me out, and I don’t need it from you either.”

 

“Are you sure? Because-”

 

“Goddammit Rhodey, I get it. Okay? Today wasn’t supposed to have been such a high risk. Whoever we’re up against is good - but I’m better. I’ll update JARVIS’s programming to run a high-risk level assessment so we can better prepare for things like this.”

 

“Yeah and that isn’t going to be enough. JARVIS *saved* your life by detecting those missiles and getting you out in time. You’re the one that needs to be updated, not him. You can’t keep living this way! You barely sleep, you barely eat, and you don’t seem to give a shit about your own life! To make things worse, god knows how many bottles of that crap you’ve had in the last few hours.”

 

Tony’s eyes shifted to a trashcan full of empty beer bottles and then back to Rhodey.

 

“God, Tony. You know what, just don’t tell me. I really don’t want to know.” He gave a short sigh and put his hand to his forehead. “Something has to be done about this. You need to be more careful! (another sigh) You should’ve canceled the meeting.”, he finished, shaking his head.

“No. I’m not going to give the public reason to suspect that *I’m* Iron Man. This will never end well. People need to see me and the suit in different places, and you know that. That’s why you took the suit today instead of me.”

 

“Have you ever considered that maybe you’re wrong? Maybe the world needs to know who you are. Or maybe at least your team does. Don’t you trust them Tony? Don’t you trust anyone?”

 

“I trust you Rhodey.”

 

“And who else?”

 

Tony slammed his bottle down. “Are you really going to make me do this right now? I almost got killed today, for god’s sake. Why won’t anyone give me a break?” He brought his palms up over his eyes. “You know what? I’ve got some serious business to take care of. I’ll talk to you later Rhodey. JARVIS, end transmission.”

 

The screen went black and Tony huffed back to his work. On the other end of the transmission, Rhodes let out a cuss and clenched his fists. If Tony wasn’t going to take this seriously, then someone else might have to...someone like Iron Man.

 

~ * ~

 

“All Avengers please report to the Assembly Hall.”, JARVIS announced throughout the mansion.

 

Steve heard the call and headed towards the large, high-tech meeting room where he found Iron Man waiting. He was the first one there, but waited until everyone else had arrived before speaking.

 

“What is it, Iron Man?”

 

“We need to talk - all of us. Today we got played.”

 

“No kidding...”, Jan, otherwise known as the Wasp, muttered.

 

“Aye.”, Thor concurred.

 

“We were set up so that Mr. Stark would be vulnerable and we couldn’t protect them...so I couldn’t protect him.” There was a pause of silence. “As you all know, I am Mr. Stark’s personal bodyguard - there to protect him whenever he needs, and to aid the Avengers whenever you need, but today not only was I unable to help the Avengers, I was not there to protect him. I failed.”

 

“It wasn’t your fault!”, Jan told him. “We were all played badly. And you couldn’t have known that you were needed by him.”

 

"That may be so, but I've done some serious thinking. There's no way for me to always remain with Mr. Stark, especially on missions where the tech in my armor is needed. That's why I have a proposition to make. I propose that we leave at least one of the Avengers behind, at least for the next few weeks, in order to protect Mr. Stark. He allowed us to come together, so I think that it is the least we can do for him."

 

Steve Rogers stood up, looking Iron Man in the eyes, “I agree.”

 

Clint, aka Hawkeye, looked back and forth between the Captain and Iron Man and then stood up with a grin. “Well if you two can agree on something, then I guess it’s a good idea. I’m in.”

 

“As am I.”, Thor stated as he stood.

 

Following the buff Asgardian came the agreement of T’Challa, the Black Panther; Carol, Ms. Marvel; Hank, Antman; Jan; and the Hulk.

 

“Thank you all.”, Iron Man said.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has now been updated :) News about updates can be seen on my blog: http://nat-fic.tumblr.com/

Steve's fist made contact with the bag one last time and it went flying across the room. His eyes weren't the only ones following it as it slammed hard against the wall and slumped to the ground.

"You okay Cap?", Clint inquired as he strutted up to Steve.

Steve didn't turn as he hung another punching bag - this one a dull blue shade - up for practice.

 _Smack._ "I'm - "  _Smack. "_ I'm fine."  _Smack._ "Just -", Steve stopped mid-sentence as his eyes narrowed, only seeing the object before him. With one final huff, he sent the blue bag across the room to reunite with its companion.

"Just working out.", he continued, taking a swing from his water bottle.

"I doubt that's what the poor bags would call this.", Clint said, eyes crinkling around the edges as he plopped himself down onto a bench. For a man capable of enough dexterity and finesse to be called the "World's Best Archer", Clint could be awfully graceless at times.

"Well it's good that the 'poor punching bag' can't think then.", Steve retorted with a smile.

"You never know, this is Stark's place after all." They both chuckled at that.

Water still in hand, Steve sat down next to Clint, a slight pant present in his breathing.

"You sure you're okay? Something just seems...off."

"Hmm." Steve stared into the distance, mind elsewhere.

"It doesn't surprise me that you can tell, bird's vision or something.", he replied after a few seconds, eyes sliding back to focus on Clint.

"To be honest, it's nothing big. I've got an awful headache that I can't seem to shake - nothing more than stress probably."

"Possibly, but you might want to get that looked at.", there was a hesitant pause. "I know that you'll do anything for any one of us, but you need to be willing to focus on your own needs from time to time. It's not like it'll hurt anyway."

"I suppose you're right, although I hate to admit it. I'm not used to having to focus on myself, and I'm frankly not to fond of it."

Steve's eyes wandered and visions arose in his mind of the nights where he sat next to his sick mother's bed, praying for her to get better. Then there were the times where he and his squad were trapped in enemy territory during the night, unsafe and weary from being under fire.  _It's not like now's any better_ , he thought.  _I have a team now, a team that I love. A team and..._ his thoughts drifted to the attempt on Stark's life. Images flashed before him - his heart thumping as he ran through the warehouse, the damage done to the area that Stark was in, a fictitious image of Stark's dead body covered in blood, flesh ripped open...

"Captain?" Clint's eyes were on Steve, eyebrows furrowed. "Steve, you sure it's just a headache?" Steve felt a slight pressure on his knee accompanied by the warmth that originates from a human hand.

"Sorry, I was just thinking. Yeah, it's just a headache. If it makes you feel better though, I'll think about talking to a doctor."

Clint gave him a warm smile and then stood up, extending his hand, "How about I cheer you up by letting you kick my ass."

" _Letting_?" Steve's eyebrow raised as he accepted Clint's hand.

~ * ~

"It might be stress, but I'm not sure. All I know is that the headache has persisted for nearly two weeks. I thought it would have passed by now.", Steve said with a sigh.

"Hmm. Well I can tell you that it isn't allergies.", Bruce replied, eyes burried in Steve's medical record. "You're the peak of human fitness, there's no way you have allergic reactions like that."

"True.", Steve said quietly, eyes wandering about the room as Bruce tried to figure out the situation. He wasn't sure that seeing a doctor would help him, but he was glad it was Bruce. Despite what he told Clint, Steve really didn't want to go see some stranger in a white coat over something so little.

"I'm sorry, I really don't know how to help you. I'll run a few tests, but the results may take a while to get back. In the meantime, try to drink lots of water - dehydration is the cause of most headaches in America. Also, find yourself something relaxing to do. Clint let me know that you're giving the punching bags a good beating, but you may want to experiment with something a tad more calming."

"Thank you, Bruce."

"I'm sorry that I couldn't help more, Steve, I really wish that I could. That's the issue with being a medical phenomenon...you're hard to figure out."

"At least I don't have to be 'figured out' often.", Steve replied with a soft laugh.

Bruce chuckled in response and then looked up at Steve over his glassed, pausing slightly. "I know I'm not being much of a help, but thanks for giving the Hulk an reason to let me out. It's hard sometimes." The salt-and-pepper haired man blushed slightly before returning his eyes to his paperwork. Steve knew how hard it was for him to deal with the Hulk. From what he understood, they were like two minds - one significantly more aggressive than the other.

"Not a problem, but you should be thanking Clint. He's the one that talked to the Hulk."

"Oh really?", Bruce inquired, looking up again briefly. "The Hulk does seem to like the 'bird man' quite a bit."

"That, and I heard word that there would be some smashing in it for the Hulk."

Bruce laughed, "Oh we know how much he likes smashing."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 5 is updated! (Mostly minor stuff, made it flow better - which is the kind of edits these earlier ones will get. No plot-relevant changes)

Steve's eyes fluttered open. It was still dark and the super soldier couldn’t see, but he stared up at the ceiling anyway. Despite the fact that he knew he must’ve fallen asleep at some point, it was as if he’d gotten no rest at all. His head was still pounding and it ached for no apparent reason, leaving the blond perplexed and exhausted from the constant pain. Once he had been staring long enough to be able to see his ceiling, Steve rolled over to face his alarm clock.

 

3:42 AM

 

The tired man shut his eyes tightly and then opened them again, hoping he'd wake up and read a different time. He didn't, so he just stared at the clock. Slowly, as they had nothing better to do and his mind was full of little spare the pain, his eyes made their way over to the blue rock next to the clock. It was a beautiful aquatic color that almost glowed in the dark. Aside from its gorgeous blue color, it appeared to be an average rock. It was rough, without blemishes, and had the size and general shape of a particularly small tangerine. Steve had picked it up during some mission, although he couldn't recollect which one it was - his head was hurting too much. It had sat on his nightstand ever since and he often gazed at it when he couldn't fall asleep.

 

Sighing, the blond eventually decided to get up and head over to the gym.

 

Steve slipped out from underneath his covers and walked across the room, the only thing lighting his path belonging to the red numbers on his alarm clock. He lifted his hands up to the back of his head and closed his eyes, breathing in slowly and then breathing out all his doubts and worries. A good amount of time had passed and there had been no attack on Stark Industries or Tony Stark and the Avengers hadn't been called out for more than a minor incident. Everything seemed decent - for the time being. Steve knew better than anyone that the scariest times weren’t when things were hectic, but when everything was calm. It’s like being caught in “eye of the storm” as they say.

 

The super soldier opened his eyes once more and went over to his dresser, changing quickly before heading to his restroom to wash up. He ran his hands under the cool water before splashing it onto his face. When he dried off and opened his eyes, he saw their clear blue color in the mirror. In them was something of the past.

 

"Captain America, you're so brave. When I grow up, I want to be like you and not be afraid of anything.", a little boy had once told him.

 

"Son,", Steve had responded, "if you want to have no fear, you can't be brave. True bravery comes from having fears and facing them."

 

The boy had smiled at him and nodded his head as if he understood everything Steve said at a deep, personal level.

 

Brushing away the memory, Steve headed out of his room and towards the gym. If you can't sleep, working out is the next best thing, he had always told himself. He walked down the hall, took a few turns, and ended up outside the training room. Upon approach, however, it was clear that something was off. From inside the room, a light trickled out into the hallway. It was far too bright to be the glowing control panel on the wall, but it definitely wasn’t the gym lights. Besides that, the noises of machines...tools maybe...accompanied the odd light. Steve frowned and wrinkled his forehead as he continued to step forward. Pushing the door aside, he went in.

 

"Mr. Stark?"

 

There was no response from the man on the floor who was at work on some component of the room.

 

"Mr. Stark?"

 

Still nothing. Tony Stark continued to work on whatever it was he was doing, muttering to himself occasionally about god knew what. Steve thought that he heard the words "Pepper", "Rhodey", "Iron Man", and "traitors", in the nearly inaudible speech, but he couldn't say for sure. He approached Tony, who wasn't looking up at all but instead likely lost in some world that Steve didn't understand.

 

"Mr. Stark.", Steve said one final time, placing his hand on Tony's shoulder.

 

"What?”, Tony’s head snapped up suddenly. “Oh, it’s just you.”, he continued as his voice softened.

 

Steve removed his hand and took a step back.

 

"Yeah, it’s just me. What are you doing here, Mr. Stark?" He wanted to change the subject as quickly as possible.

 

Tony gave him a blank stare for just a second, blinked his eyes, and then focused his gaze on Steve's face.

 

"Oh, Cap. Shit...that was...I was...rude. I was rude. Sorry."

 

Steve arched an eyebrow at the name "Cap". Tony had never addressed him that way.

 

"No hard feelings. What are you working on?"

 

"Oh, this? Just...repairs. More stuff for Hulk to smash..."

 

"Hulk loves smashing.", said Steve with a weak smile.

 

"Yeah...So, Cap, I was about done...I'll be on my way so you can use the room...just...let me get up. Hold on."

 

Tony tried to stand up but only managed to wobble before his body decided to fall towards the ground. Steve moved fast to catch him, grabbing him by the arm and waist and pulling him close. Tony's direction changed and he fell forward into Steve, resulting in a clumsy hug between the two of them. Thinking quickly, the blond dropped the hand that he’d had on the genius’s shoulder and placed it on his waist in order to hold the off-balance man up. As Tony's head fell onto the Cap's shoulder, Steve got a clear view of several beer cans that were on the floor next to where the inventor had been. Steve sighed.

 

"Cap....I think...I can stand...", Tony said, starting to slur his words.

 

Ignoring him, Steve replied, "When was the last time you got sleep, sir?"

 

"Hmm? Sleep? I slept..."

 

"When?"

 

"Last time was....last time...let me think...the day Clint took Hulk....Arizona....smash things...."

 

"What?! That was three days ago, Stark!"

 

"Yeah....something like that...."

 

"I'm getting you to bed. You can thank me later, sir."

 

Steve swooped down and hooked his right arm under Tony's leg, picking him up and pulling him towards his chest. Tony started to protest, but he quickly stopped, seeing that it was of no use. The genius billionaire was then carried to his room, which JARVIS unlocked for Steve. Steve set Tony on the bed, yanked the sheets over him, and then left. Stopping by the door, he turned around and said, "Good night, sir."

 

~*~

 

"Mr. Stark, a word?"

 

"What is it, Captain?"

 

"I wanted to talk about last night."

 

Tony looked across his desk at Steve, raising his eyebrow as he focused on his laptop, not making eye contact with the other man.

 

"Yes?"

 

"I just wanted to tell you that I won't tell anyone about what happened. Last night never happened."

 

The corner of Tony's mouth twitched down.

 

"I don't know what you're talking about."

 

"Exactly.", said Steve with a short smile before he left the room.

 

When he was gone, Tony looked up. "What the fuck did I miss?", he said out loud.

 

 


	6. Old People Get Laid Too

"I cannot believe how much you work out - and I was a SHIELD agent!"

 

Steve laughed. He was doing push-ups near the kitchen before breakfast. Cling went to the fridge and grabbed a glass of juice, sitting down with it at the counter.

 

"Exercise is good for you. Plus, it seems like the only thing helping my headache."

 

"Doc said he didn't find anything wrong with you. You think this is an issue?"

 

"No. I'm sure it will wear off. Might be stress related."

 

"Or maybe you just need to get laid."

 

"Excuse me, son, but I don't think you should talk to your elders like that.", Steve responded, getting up and patting Clint on the back.

 

"What? Old people can get laid too."

 

~*~

 

"Iron Man."

 

"Cap? What are you calling about?"

 

"I just wanted to say thank you."

 

Tony Stark sat on the table in his lab, Iron Man helmet and gloves on. The Captain was on the mansion intercom – sound only. After all, Tony had his secrets to keep.

 

"For?"

 

"Helping me." 

 

Tony was drawing blanks. Did Rhodey do something for the Cap when he wore the armor?

 

"You're gonna have to be a little more specific, Cap."

 

"Proposing the idea to have someone guard Mr. Stark. I had the same idea."

 

"I know, Stark told me.", Tony said with an eye roll that the Captain couldn't see. 

 

"Figured. Thank you anyway."

 

"No problem, Cap."


	7. Blue

"Avengers Assemble!"

 

Everyone gathered in the Assembly Hall and waited to hear what their mission was. 

 

"My satellites just detected a strange output of energy, similar to ones we've detected at AIM bases but much, much stronger. There's no way of telling what it is, so you'll be going in blind. With Black Panther and Ant Man in Wakanda, the entire team will have to go. This could be something very real and very, very dangerous."

 

"What about you, Stark? We agreed that someone should remain behind to guard you. Iron Man should stay, since he's your bodyguard."

 

"Not possible, Wasp."

 

"But-"

 

"Not. Possible. You need Iron Man on this mission. If the thing that that energy is coming from is anywhere close to the machines we've seen in the past, Iron Man is your only bet to shut it down, especially with Hank gone."

 

"Then someone else has to stay.", said Carol.

 

"I'll do it.", said Steve.

 

Everyone turned and looked at him.

 

"Excellent, it's settled then.", Clint said before anyone - especially Tony - could argue. "I'll prep the Quinjet."

 

Steve gave him a salute and Clint understood it as a "thank you". With the headaches Steve had been having, it might've been the best idea to have him stay. Of course, only Clint and Banner knew that, and of the two of them, only Clint was present. For some reason, Clint felt like it was better not to tell the team about it anyway, not before going into a blind zone. No need to worry people needlessly, right?

 

Before they left, Tony took Iron Man aside.

 

"Rhodey, I should be the one going."

 

"No, Tony. If the entire team is gone, someone has to stay with you. If there's no you to stay with, how will that look?"

 

Tony glared at him.

 

"You know, this Iron Man stuff is dangerous business. Maybe you should consider stopping it all together."

 

"No."

 

"One day you'll do something stupid and kill yourself because you don't want to be found out."

 

"I know I do stupid things, that's why I have Protocol 74."

 

The blank metal face stared at him silently but Tony knew that Rhodey was giving him a death stare.

 

"Maybe that isn't enough."

 

"It is. Now, go. Just...be safe. I'll monitor the situation from here. Well, from my phone specifically."

 

"Okay. Keep in touch. And Tony?"

 

"Yes?"

 

"Lay off the alcohol."

 

~*~

 

The comms had gone silent as soon as the team reached their location. Tony had cursed under his breath some and then commenced pacing around the Assembly Hall as Steve lounged in a chair.

 

"You ever trained in hand-to-hand combat, Mr. Stark?", Steve said, breaking the silent. 

 

"No."

 

"Might do you some good, especially if you're at high risk for being targeted."

 

"I don't have time."

 

"You've got time now. Why don't we head down to the training room, spar some?"

 

"I need to monitor the situation."

 

"What's there to monitor? Look, I don't like this as much as you, but sitting around here and worrying our asses off won't help anyone. We might as well be productive. Is there any way you can monitor the mission from the gym?"

 

"Of course."

 

"Then let's go."

 

Tony, as usual, didn't even make eye contact with Steve and just kept pacing. Finally, he stopped and turned around. 

 

"Fine, let's go."

 

"Okay, I just need to swing by my room and change, and I suggest you do the same. Sparring in a suit doesn't seem to be the best idea, unless you're Agent Coulson."

 

Tony’s smirked at that comment and then walked off.

 

~*~

 

Knock, knock

 

"Captain, you in there?"

 

Knock, knock

 

"Captain, it's been a while."

 

Only silence responded.

 

"JARVIS, locate Steve Rogers."

 

"Steve Rogers located, sir. He is currently in his room."

 

Tony walked over to a painting on the wall and ran his finger along the bottom of the frame. There was a short pause when nothing happened, and then a compartment pushed out of the wall. Tony opened it and took out an object which he put in his pocket, and then he closed the compartment. It slide back into the wall and with a soft "click", the wall appeared to be solid again.

 

"JARVIS, unlock the door."

 

"As you wish, sir."

 

Click

 

"Captain?", Tony said, walking into the room. He immediately noticed the sound of running water coming from the bathroom.

 

He headed toward the restroom door and placed his hand on the doorknob. For a moment, he hesitated and did nothing, trying to figure out what he'd find behind the door. Then, with a deep breath, he opened the door and went in.

 

"Mr. Stark?"

 

"Captain, are you okay?"

 

Steve stood at the sink which was running, staring at Tony.

 

"Yes, why?"

 

"It's been over forty minutes since we split up to go change."

 

"Oh."

 

"You sure you're okay?"

 

"Yes, I'm sure. I was just rinsing my face and thinking. I must've gotten lost in thought. I'm all changed. Here, give me a second and I'll be right out."

 

"Okay.", Tony said, closing the door and waiting in Steve's bedroom. He figured that he'd need to stay close by in the event that something really was wrong with Steve. 

 

Bored, Tony walked around the room. Since he set it up, he knew in general what it looked like, but some things where added since he had last seen it. For instance, Steve had added several pictures of the Avengers gathered together in different places. There was also a photo that Steve had taken when he went to go visit Peggy. Aside from those things, the only item Tony really looked at was the rock next to Steve's clock. It was a weird blue color that almost glowed.

 

"JARVIS, run an analysis on this rock. Tell me what it is."

 

"Yes, sir.", JARVIS responded in his British accent.

 

"Where did it come from?", Tony muttered to himself.

 

Just then, the restroom door was pushed open and Steve strode out.

 

"All ready. Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Stark."

 

"It's fine.", said Tony, turning around.

 

The Captain walked over to the bedroom door, and Tony followed. They both wore tank tops and gym shorts along with sneakers. Tony had his hands in his pockets and Steve was holding a gym bag in his left hand. As Steve approached the door, he shut it, causing Tony's eyebrows to rise. Tony blinked a few times.

 

"What's wrong, Captain?"

 

"Nothing.", Steve replied, locking the door. He turned around and faced Tony.

 

"Aren't we going to the gym?"

 

The Cap dropped the gym bag he was holding and approached Tony, who took a few steps backwards.

 

"I thought you might prefer a different kind of exercise.", Steve said, flashing one of his famous smiles.

 

Tony started to sweat a little. Steve continued to coolly walk towards him. When he was within a foot of Tony, Tony lifted his hands and stepped back some more. There, he met the wall. When did this room get so small?

 

"This is all very funny, Rogers. I know you don't like me, but there's no need to mess with me like this.", Tony said with as firm of a voice that he could muster.

 

"I'm not messing.", Steve told him, eyes completely focused on the man before him.

 

He placed his hand on the wall just inches next to Tony's head, and he leaned in. Tony, seeing what was happening, quickly slipped under the Cap's muscular arm and walked around behind him.

 

"Seriously, Captain. I don't know who put you up to this. Was it Clint? Did he convince you that this was "how people did it now"? I'll have his ass if he did."

 

Steve turned around and looked at Tony, crossing his arms in front of his chest and he shook his head, the corner of his mouth turning up.

 

"No, sir. I don't think you understand."

 

Steve uncrossed his arms and took a few steps toward Tony, where he raised his hands up and lightly gripped the other man's upper arms. Tony huffed slightly, frowning, and brushed off the Captain's arms. Steve got the message; his eyes narrowed and his smile vanished.

 

Tony's head buzzed. Stay cool and be calm. What are my advantages here? Maybe I'm misunderstanding the situation. Captain Boy Scout isn't one to do something like this. What is going on? I'll have to act first, ask questions later.

 

"Mr. Stark."

 

"I'm sorry, Captain."

 

Tony turned and ran for the door. 

 

"JARVIS! Unlo-"

 

Steve grabbed him and they tumbled onto the floor. Tony fell onto his back and Steve on top of him. The confusion would've given Tony time to move, but Steve knew that and was much faster. As Tony tried to get away, he felt Steve's strong hands on either of his shoulders, pushing him down towards the ground, Steve's legs on either side of his thighs. Tony looked Steve in the eyes and, for a brief moment, he saw them flash an unusual blue.

 

"Steve Rogers! Get off me!"

 

Steve's head made a bee-line for Tony's neck, and once contact was made with his mouth, Tony lost all thought, forgetting that he was supposed to be fighting back. Instead, he felt a warm sensation all over his body, and a tingling where Steve's mouth was. The Captain's tongue ran down to Tony's shoulder, and then back up to his neck and over to his jawbone. Just as he was about to make contact with Tony's mouth, Steve let out a groan of pain and pulled away. Tony opened his eyes, not realizing that he had ever closed them, to see Steve on his knees over him, hands on either side of his head pushing into his skull, eyes squeezed tight, and teeth pressed together. 

 

"Ah! My head!", Steve groaned. 

 

Taking what was possibly his only chance, Tony rolled to his side and knocked the Captain over, and then lunged on him. Hands moving quickly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out an object. It was a small disc, having a similar circumference to the base of a water bottle and about a thumb-width thick. On the top was a small button, which Tony pressed, resulting in a thick needle to protrude from the bottom of the device. As he fell onto Steve, he jammed the needle into his arm. Tony hid Steve, who was just then refocusing on Tony, hard with his body. For a moment, the device seemed to do nothing, and Steve placed his hands on Tony's arms and looked him intensely in the eyes. Then, as quickly as it all started, the struggle stopped. Steve's head fell back and hit the ground, his grip loosened and his arms fell, and his entire body relaxed.

 

"I'm sorry, Cap.", Tony said softly, standing up.

 

"JARVIS?"

 

"Yes, sir."

 

"I don't have a lot of time before he wakes up. Tell me, has the Captain been exhibiting unusual behavior lately?"

 

"No, sir. But, he has been complaining of severe headaches."

 

"Shit, Captain. Why didn't you tell me?"

 

_Why would he have_?, Tony thought.

 

"When did they start?"

 

"When the Avengers returned from the mission to the fake Hydra base."

 

"Did anything else happen that day? Extrapolate: What could have caused Steve's headaches?"

 

"I'm afraid that there is insufficient data."

 

Tony began to pace back and forth, arms crossed and muttering to himself. He huffed and looked up. The first thing he saw was the strange blue rock.

 

The rock. Steve's eyes flashing blue. There had to be a connection.

 

"JARVIS, what is that rock?"

 

"Scanning...it appears to be an iron meteorite."

 

"Iron meteorites aren't blue, and they most certainly don't look as if they're glowing. When did Captain Rogers bring this here?"

 

"That information requires me to bypass privacy restrictions. Please enter the master-code."

 

Tony smirked briefly, there was irony in this.

 

"Captain America."

 

"Code accepted.

 

...

 

Searching archives.

 

...

 

Result found. That rock was brought in by Captain Rogers on the same day of the faux Hydra base mission."

 

Steve started to stir behind Tony, his eyes blinking open. Tony saw that strange blue glow again.

 

"Act now, questions later.", Tony said, snatching the rock. 

 

"JARVIS, initiate defense system." 

 

A panel opened in the ceiling and a laser moved out of it. Tony tossed the rock into the air.

 

"Destroy it!"


	8. Dreamers Often Lie

"We have failed. How is this possible?"

 

"It shouldn't have been. Tony Stark should be dead. Captain America has the ability to crush him in seconds."

 

Steve only heard the voices; he didn't see any faces, only an eerie blue glow coming from the end of a tunnel, and then he blacked out.


	9. When Things Get Stranger

"How could this have happened?"

 

More voices, but this time they were familiar.

 

"Would you stop repeating that?"

 

"He's right, you should stop. I've detected that the last of the spell has worn off. Steve will be waking up soon."

 

Steve's eyes fluttered open. He was in the mansion's ward.

 

"Steve! You're awake!", Jan exclaimed, squeezing his hand.

 

"Good to have you back, Captain.", said Clint from his other side, looking down on him with a smile.

 

Steve turned his head to see the owner of the third voice, Doctor Stephen Strange. He was about to say something to the man, but another face caught his eye. Doctor Strange was standing in front of a window, and behind that window was Tony Stark, looking solemn. He made contact with Steve for a split second, frowned, and then walked off. Steve wasn't sure what that was all about.

 

"Do you remember anything?", Strange asked, catching Steve's attention.

 

Steve shook his head.

 

"No."

 

"That's okay, the memories will come back to you shortly. For now, you should rest. I'll let the rest of the Avengers know that you are awake. Clint, Jan, let’s go. He should be alone for now."

 

Clint opened his mouth to protest, but decided against it and followed the doctor out of the room. Jan turned around and wiggled her fingers in a "good bye" and gave Steve a smile before exiting.

 

~*~

 

"Stark."

 

Tony turned his head away from his work and nodded, "Strange. How is he?"

 

"Doing well. The magic is gone."

 

"Did you figure out where he got it?"

 

"I'm afraid not, the memory was locked away by the enchantment. Only time will bring it to surface."

 

Tony frowned.

 

"No worries, though. The threat was neutralized. You were wise to destroy the meteorite."

 

"No need to try and flatter me, Doctor. I know what you're here for."

 

Doctor Strange smiled. 

 

"Very well then. May I have the artifact?"

 

"I'd like the study it more. This thing that was at the center of the rock...it didn't break. Why did the magic's effects stop?"

 

"It needed the rock to amplify its power."

 

"Okay, but I know you can't answer all my questions. Even you don't know where this came from."

 

"No, I'll admit that I don't. But, the artifact is much safer in my possession. You know that."

 

"I have to study it."

 

"Tony."

 

Tony ignored him and continued tapping on his computer. The lab was silent.

 

"The Captain will be safer if it is not here."

 

Tony turned toward Stephen and glared.

 

"Fine, you can have it. But, you better make sure that this doesn't happen again."

 

"You can trust that it won't. Now, I must return home."

 

Tony went over to a safe and pressed his eye to a scanner. Next came his hand. Lastly, he typed in a password. With a click, the safe unlocked and he pulled out a small box and handed it to the sorcerer. Stephen took it an opened it up. Inside was a small, perfectly oval, vibrantly glowing gem. It had intricate markings all over its surface, and it made a slight humming noise that was barely audible.

 

Stephen shut the lid and turned towards the door. 

 

As he was leaving, Tony said, "Thank you."

 

The sorcerer didn’t respond, he just turned and smiled warmly at Stark's tired face, and then he left.

 

~*~

 

Steve looked past his white sheets and to the door as it cracked open.

 

"Steve?"

 

"Hi Jan.", he tried for the best smile he could manage.

 

"Mind if I come in?"

 

"No, you're good."

 

She slipped through the door and then closed it behind her, trying to be as silent as possible. She walked over and sat down next to Steve's bed, in the chair that she had occupied when Steve woke up. She took Steve's hand into hers.

 

"How are you doing?"

 

"I'm not fond of lying, so I'll say the truth - not well. What I did..."

 

Steve had remembered it all. Everything. He shuddered at the thought.

 

"Tony...Mr. Stark..."

 

"He's fine.", Jan told him, giving his hand a quick squeeze and smiling. 

 

"That's good."

 

Steve's eyes wandered to the ceiling,

 

"Does everyone know about...about what happened?"

 

"Yes, we do."

 

"Oh."

 

"Don't worry Steve, we all know it wasn't your fault."

 

"It doesn't matter. I should've had control. I shouldn't have -"

 

"Steve, please. Don't beat yourself up over this. It was magic. Sorcery. A spell. We all know that you never would have tried to kill Tony."

 

Steve immediately turned to look at her.

 

"Kill him?"

 

"Yes. Like I said, he told us what happened."

 

But that isn't what happened..., Steve thought.

 

"What did he say?"

 

"What?", she said, poking him in the arm with her finger, "Trying to make sure he didn't leave out how wimpy he was compared to you?"

 

Steve smiled and shook his head. He appreciated that Jan was trying to cheer him up.

 

"As soon as we got our communications back, JARVIS told us that we were needed at the mansion and that it was an emergency. We rushed back here and found you passed out on the floor of your room and Tony on the ground, leaning against your bed, looking like death - which is a sight to see. The great Tony Stark worn out and tired as hell."

 

"Jan...", Steve gently prompted.

 

She stuck out her tongue at him and then continued.

 

"So then Hulk carried you here, and then someone contacted Doctor Strange. When things calmed down some, he finally told us what happened. He said that you two decided to go do some sparring so that he could get some training in self-defense. The Hulk laughed at him, but he ignored it. He told us that you had been taking too long, so he went to see what was wrong and found you in the restroom. Said you mentioned something about getting distracted, but now he wonders if you were trying to help your headache."

 

"I was."

 

"Why'd you lie?"

 

"I'm not sure, seemed like a good idea."

 

"Might've been the magic. So anyway, Tony said that he was suspicious and he saw this blue rock next to your clock. Before he could take a look at it, you came out of the restroom."

 

Steve found himself holding his breath.

 

"Then, you attacked him and tried to kill him. You would've been able to do it too, except your head started hurting and you recoiled in pain. He used that to his advantage and injected you with a drug. Apparently, his idea of being prepared is to carry a device with enough juice to knock out Captain America. Although, it wouldn't have kept you down for long. You were waking up and he blasted the rock. When he did that, you went unconscious and he sat down. Shortly after, we found him."

 

"Thank you, Jan."

 

"No problem."

 

"So, what was the rock?"

 

"You probably guessed since Doctor Strange was here and I mentioned something about magic, but it was an artifact with a spell on it. You brought it back with you the day that we had that hoax mission. Stephan said it's what caused your behavior and your strange headaches, which Clint and Bruce told him about. Man, you should've seen Stark's face when he learned that someone knew about the headaches and didn't mention it. He was furious. He chewed Clint out, but didn't really blame Bruce since he was the other guy most of the time since this started. He was shouting about how you should've been sent to the ward and this could have been prevented and on and on and on. Not a pretty site, I'm telling you. Be glad that you weren't there."

 

Steve smiled.

 

"I'm glad I wasn't, but Clint was just trying to respect my privacy."

 

"I know, but Tony wasn't letting him talk. He just kept bitching at him. Eventually, Clint shot a smoke arrow into the middle of the room, shouted "Caw Caw motherfuckers!", and hid somewhere."

 

Steve laughed out loud now.

 

"I'm glad to see you laugh.", Jan said, beaming.

 

Steve took a few deep breaths and then calmed down. 

 

"Is Stark mad at me?"

 

"What?"

 

"Is he mad?"

 

"I...I don't actually know. He hasn't been around much since things settled down."

 

Steve nodded solemnly, acknowledging her response.

 

"Don't worry, Steve. I know you think that Stark hates you, but he doesn't."

 

"How can he not? I tried to...I tried..." 

 

He sighed.

 

"Look, Steve.", Jan said, putting her hand on his cheek and bringing his gaze to hers. "Tony Stark is a mysterious man, but it isn't a mystery that he doesn't hate you. There's no way that he could be angry at you for something that wasn't your fault. When someone means something to you, you forgive them - especially when it wasn't their fault."

 

"What do you mean 'means something to you'? What do I mean to him?"

 

"As an Avenger, he considers you his responsibility. He thinks of himself as the one in charge of taking care of the people who take care of the world, and you're one of those people. But..."

 

Jan hesitates to continue.

 

"There's more, isn't there?" 

 

"Yes. There is. If...well, if I had to guess, I'd say that you mean the most to Stark."

 

"Why me?"

 

"You're his hero."

 

Steve rolled his eyes and shook his head.

 

"You've got it all wrong. The man can't tolerate me."

 

"No Steve.", Jan said with her piercing eyes. "You still don't understand. Look, I was there."

 

"Where?"

 

"When they uncovered you from the ice."

 

"You were?"

 

"Yeah. Tony called in Hank and I went with him. I wasn't going to miss a chance to see the Captain America."

 

"I'm not that special.", Steve said with a slight smile.

 

This time, it was Jan's turn to roll her eyes.

 

"How much were you told about how they recovered you?", she asked, suddenly serious.

 

Steve arched his eyebrow and twisted mouth, revealing his perplexity. 

 

"They said that I had been stuck in ice down in the ocean and a submarine that was in the area picked me up on their scanners."

 

Jan frowned and shook her head.

 

"No. I mean...they didn't lie to you, but that isn't the entire truth. That submarine belonged to Tony Stark. It was part of a search and rescue team that had been looking for you since you disappeared. You know, since they never found a body or even pieces of your uniform."

 

Steve's eyes widened.

 

"Yeah. They'd been looking for you that long. Howard Stark had started the search, obviously, since Tony wasn't alive. After his death, Tony didn't stop the funding though, which tells you something. They said that the only reason that the sub found you was that a large chunk of ice had broken off the piece you were in, bringing you closer to the surface of the ice so that scans could pick you up."

 

Steve was silent.

 

"They weren't sure that it was you, but Tony went to check it out as soon as he could anyway. He called Hank, who he'd been working with on a different project, in case he was interested in the discovery. I remember Hank getting off the phone looking speechless and then reciting the entire conversation. It was almost like a miracle. We had all heard about you since our births, especially Tony.

 

So anyway, we visited Stark and the entire time, I swear he alternated between looking as if his world flipped over and having that happy attitude he gets when he comes up with a new invention. It makes sense because from what Hank says, Howard talked a lot about you to Tony when he was a kid. You were the man Tony always looked up to."

 

Steve nodded with a blank expression, eyes staring out into some distant place.

 

She paused for a moment.

 

"Steve, what happened when you first woke up?"

 

Steve looked down and then back up at her.

 

"The first thing I saw was a man in a suit; he looked a lot like my old friend Howard Stark. He smiled at me, but I just stared at him, unsure of where I was. The first thing out of his mouth was 'Welcome to the 21st Century, Captain America.' I was in disbelief. Who was this man? Why was he saying this? Then, all my memories started rushing back. The Red Skull, the missile, Bucky..."

 

Steve stopped for a few seconds.

 

"I tried jumping out of the bed and towards the door, but the man put his hand on my chest and said 'It's alright, Captain.', and for some reason, I trusted him. He told me to wait, so I did, and he left the room. When he came back, he handed me my shield. 'I believe this belongs to you.', he said. I asked him who he was and then he told me, 'I'm Tony Stark, and you'll be safe with me.'"

 

Jan smiled at him.

 

"He meant that, you know."

 

"Well who would've known that we wouldn't get along after that."

 

"It doesn't matter, Tony meant what he said. You should've seen him right before you woke up. He was monitoring the entire process of retrieving you and was being very uptight and making sure that everything went perfectly. When he came to get the shield, he told me that no one had touched it since it was recovered - no one. He was the first in decades to lay hands on it. Howard had refused to let anyone study it, saying that it belonged in your hands only. Giving it back to you was something that Tony had wanted to do for a long time."

 

Steve sat there and thought.


	10. Shrouded in Mystery

"JARVIS, I want footage of everything the Captain's done in the past few weeks. Has he accessed mansion data? Been in any unusual areas? If someone could control him and make him...well if someone could control him, why would they reveal themselves like that, first of all. But secondly, what other agendas did Rogers have? This has to be about more than creating resentment and distrust within the mansion. Unless their goal was to get the Cap locked away - a stupid goal. I know better than to do that."

 

Tony's fingers danced around the screens around him. He checked all of the secure files and vaults that the mansion had, but nothing appeared to be tampered with. On top of that, the security footage didn't even reveal that Steve had been in any areas where he could access that stuff.

 

"I'm missing something. What is it? Aside from those headaches and his attack, Rogers seems to have acted perfectly fine."

 

Tony slammed his fists down on the table.

 

"Who the hell did this and why?"

 

~*~

 

Later that night, Tony Stark couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned for hours, but it was no use. Finally, he gave up and just stared at the ceiling. Over and over in his mind, he thought about what was going on. He groaned as he came to no conclusions. Finally, he decided to replay what happened with Steve in his mind. He had been avoiding this for hours, trying to silence any memories that attempted to surface, but he knew that doing that would only prevent him from finding the truth.

 

With his decision, he shut his eyes and allowed his memories to come forth. He thought about being in that room - Steve's room - and seeing how the Avengers were his life now. He recalled how Steve had acted friendly and normal, except that he started flirting. When he got to replaying the moment where Steve had placed his hand next to Tony's head and leaned in, a blush crept up the back of his neck. He thought about trying to leave only to have the larger, stronger man on him. At that point, Tony lifted his fingers to the spot where Steve had first placed his mouth. He thought about the feelings that he had had in that moment...how his mind had gone so numb...how he hadn't even wanted to move...

 

Tony shook his head, moving away from the thought and trying to push forward to the rest of the memory. _What is going on with me?_ , he thought.


	11. Southern Winds

It had been three days since the incident and the Avengers were acting like normal - a relief for Steve. The only person that wasn't was Tony Stark. For the past three days, he had been holed up in his lab, not even coming out to eat. It was true that Tony holed up often, but it was rarely like this. He refused to see any of the Avengers, although he was polite about it. JARVIS told them that he was working, and if they managed to convince the AI to let them talk to Tony over a monitor, Tony just repeated the same thing.

 

Steve Rogers tried to ignore Tony's behavior, telling himself that it was none of his concern. So, as usual, he spent his days in the training room getting a good workout.

 

One particular morning, Steve got up to head out to the gym. His clock read 4:13. Swiftly, he put on his clothes and grabbed his gym bag. He had barely gotten any sleep, so he figured that some time alone in the training room during the quiet hours of the day would do him good. He slipped out into the hall and shut the door silently behind him, heading to the gym. Down the hall from the gym, he saw a dark figure lingering in the shadows. His first thought was that it was Clint. The archer occasionally got up as early as Steve to release stress by letting his arrows fly. Unlike most of the time, he would be silent as he did so, allowing the gym to be filled only by the sounds of arrows and punching bags. Steve didn't mind. Sometimes having a friend around was nice.

 

The blonde learned, however, that this figure did not belong to Clint Barton. Instead, it belonged to none other than Tony Stark. Stark was leaning against the hall, gazing out into nowhere, a bottle of beer in his hand. Steve decided that it was better not to say anything, so he just walked past him, making no eye contact. Stark didn't seem to notice until Steve had almost cleared him, and so he grabbed the larger man's wrist.

 

"Rogers."

 

Steve stood there for a moment, staring straight forward at the gym. Then, he turned. Tony let go of his hand but didn't make eye contact.

 

"Mr. Stark."

 

"I've done some thinking. I've decided that knowing how to fight will come in handy."

 

Steve didn't say anything, so there was a silence.

 

"I'd like you to teach me, Captain Rogers."

 

"Mr. Stark, I don't know if that's a good idea. At least not from me.", Steve told him, folding his arms in front of his chest.

 

Tony finally met his gaze.

 

"Recent events have shown it is necessary. No one else can teach me. You're the best there is. And, it's likely I'd be going against opponents like you."

 

Steve clenched his jaw and stared at Tony. Finally, he sighed.

 

"Good. I'll go get my stuff."

 

"Right now?", Steve asked with a raised eyebrow.

 

Tony didn't answer, he just walked off.

 

Steve shook his head and let out a groan. Tony Stark was a confusing man, and it was worse when he was drunk.

 

~*~

 

It started to look like Tony wasn't going to show up. _He probably passed out somewhere._ , Steve thought while mauling a punching bag. The super soldier had already done 500 push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups. It had been at least 45 minutes, or so he figured. That's why, when he heard the door open behind him, he almost jumped. However, he didn't turn around.

 

Footsteps approached him, stopping only a few feet off.

 

"Captain, I'm ready."

 

Once again, Steve was surprised. Even though he knew someone had entered, he figured it to be another Avenger. Instead, it was Tony Stark.

 

Steve sighed and stopped, turning around to face the other man.

 

"Are you sure about this?"

 

"Yes.", Tony replied.

 

The tall blond looked the brunette up and down. Tony was wearing a long-sleeve black workout shirt and some soft, grey workout pants.

 

"Fine, but you're going to get hot in that."

 

"I'll be fine."

 

As always, Stark was stubborn.

 

Steve led the way to the center of the room and showed Tony how to put his hands up. They went over basic ways to move, how to punch and kick, and what areas of the body to protect. When Tony seemed to get the hang of it, they started to spar. Both of them out up their hands, and then Tony took a swing. Steve deflected it and Tony stumbled to the side. He tried to punch again, but was only deflected. The third time he tried, Steve swept his leg and he landed on his ass.

 

Steve thought for a moment.

 

"Why don't I teach you how to fall?"

 

They worked on that for a bit, and oddly enough, Tony didn't seem to have any issues with falling. Most people freak out at first, but Tony didn't. It was as if he was used to it.

 

They went back to sparring after Steve was more confident that Tony wouldn't injure himself the next time he fell. After one failed attempt after another to get Rogers, the smaller man attempted a daring move. He went straight at Steve, grabbing him by the shirt in front of his collar bone. The blond reacted immediately, moving with grace and throwing a surprised Tony to the ground. One moment, Tony was grabbing Steve and the next he was airborne. Then, he found himself against the ground, Steve's knees on his chest and hands clenching his shirt.

 

Tony gritted his teeth and looked into Steve's eyes. Almost immediately, his jaw relaxed and a split second later, he looked away.

 

"Mind if I get up?"

 

Steve blinked, having lost focus for a moment.

 

"Uh...yeah."

 

He rolled back on his heels and then extended his arm to Tony.

 

  1. , he thought. He hadn't thought about how being in a position like that would make Tony feel.



 

Stark didn't even look at him. The smaller man put his hands on his knees and gazed at the ground.

 

"Mr. Stark, what's wrong?", Steve asked reluctantly. It was about time that the two of them talked. "I didn't intend for that to happen, I'm sorry."

 

Tony turned around and Steve reached out his hand and placed it on the brunette's shoulder.

 

"Are you-"

 

Tony cut him off while shrugging his hand off of his shoulder.

 

"I'm just hot."

 

He proceeded to remove his top, throwing it to the side and turning back to the Captain.

 

"Let's go again."

 

Steve just stood there for a moment, staring at Stark. He both wanted to talk about the incident and to avoid the subject all together. He decided that he should do the right thing and was about to say something when his jaw dropped a little. He hadn't realized how tight he'd been clenching his teeth together.

 

"Mr. Stark, those bruises..."

 

Tony just raised his eyebrow until he recalled what Steve was talking about. Cursing, he grabbed his stuff and said he had do go do something.

 

Steve walked over to the punching bag.

 

_That's why he wore the shirt._ , Steve thought.

 

The bag flew across the room and slammed against a wall. Steve moved to get another one.

 

_How could I have let this happen?_ , he thought. I didn't have a chance with Mr. Stark before, and that was fine, but now I can barely be in the same room as him. He pounded harder on the bag. Somehow, he had stumbled into miserable irony. It wasn't supposed to be like this.


	12. Austin - And Not the City

Tony Stark threw his stuff across the room and collapsed on his bed. He stared at the ceiling for a moment and then rolled off of the mattress and walked toward his mini fridge. He pulled out a beer and then sat back down on his bed, elbows leaning on his knees.

 

"JARVIS, what was the name of that journalist? The one I asked you to take a note about?"

 

"Which one, sir?"

 

"Black hair, tall."

 

"Her name is Jane Austin."

 

"Call up Ms. Austin."

 

"Calling."

 

The phone rang.

 

"Hello, this is Jane Austin speaking."

 

"Hi Ms. Austin. You might not know me, but I'm Tony Stark. We met at the World Science Festival a while back."

 

"Nope, don't think I've ever heard of a "Tony Stark.", she told him, holding back laughter.

 

"Well then, I believe an introduction is in order. I'll pick you up at 9?"

 

"I suppose I must agree. See you then, Mr. Stark."

 

"See you then."

 

She hung up.

 

"JARVIS, get me her home address. I'm going out tonight."

 

"Right away, sir."

 

"Also, JARVIS?"

 

"Yes, sir?"

 

"No Avengers."

 

"As you wish. Should they inquire about your whereabouts, I shall inform them that you are in a last-minute meeting and that Iron Man is with you."

 

That excuse should hold, but only because the Avengers aren't on a mission. I need to make a plan for if that happens.

 

Tony threw away his bottle and stepped into the shower.

 

~*~

 

Later that night, Tony Stark was standing in front of his mirror, buttoning his shirt and putting on his tie. When he was done, he put his hands on the counter and looked down, trying to clear his mind. After a while, he looked up at himself and sighed. Then, he left for his date.

 

~*~

 

"So it's no secret that you like women, Tony, but what about men?"

 

Tony's head snapped up from the dessert menu.

 

Jane looked at him, smiling, pursing her lips, and giving him a wink. She was truly a charming woman, fluent in the language of flirting. She sipped at her drink.

 

His face relaxed and he just smiled and shook his head.

 

"When in the presence of someone as lovely as you, my mind is incapable of even thinking of other women, let alone men."

 

"Oh, but Mr. Stark, that doesn't answer my question.", she said, still smiling.

 

"Are you asking because you'd like a three-way? Shame, I was hoping to have you all to myself tonight."

 

"Tony, Tony, Tony. I can tell that you're deflecting me. I am a journalist, after all."

 

"Very well then, would you like the truth?"

 

"Very much so.", she told him, leaning forward on her fist.

 

Tony opened his mouth to speak, hesitated for a second, and then said, "No, I don't like men."

 

"Is that so? You hesitated."

 

"Well, I find men handsome, of course - I appreciate human beauty in all forms. However, I don't think I'd ever sleep with one."

 

_Because the one I want won't have me._ , his mind added. He pushed the thought away.

 

"Hmm...that sounds more like the truth. It's a shame though, I was hoping to have a headline tomorrow: TONY STARK: BI! A WHOLE NEW SPIN TO THE NAME 'IRON MAN'"

 

Tony laughed.

 

"Well if I was into men, I certainly wouldn't do it with Iron Man. But enough of this talk, I believe it's time for dessert - and no, I'm not talking about food."

 

~*~

 

It turned out that Jane didn't just have good journalist skills, she was excellent in bed. They had been going at it for over an hour, and it didn't seem like they'd stop soon.

 

Deciding to be dominant, Austin climbed onto Stark's chest and bit her lip, looking him right in the eyes. She leaned over and grabbed his wrists, making eye contact. Slowly, she lowered her lips to his shoulder. Tony closed her eyes as she approached, ready to feel her soft lips on his skin. She flicked out her tongue once and then made contact with him. Tony enjoyed it and his mind relaxed and his brain fell upon thoughts of a muscular blond man over him....licking him...kissing him...

 

Tony's entire body tensed up. Jane jumped back.

 

"What's wrong?", she asked, trying not to touch him in case he was hurt.

 

Tony shut his eyes and pressed his fingers to his temples. He shook his head.

 

"No, it's nothing. I'm sorry. I just got a headache."

 

He started to get up and seeing the worried look plastered on her face, he gave her a small smile.

 

"Don't worry. I'm just going to splash water on my face. I'll be right back."

 

He walked over to the bathroom and shut the door. Splashing water on his face, he wondered what was happening to him.

 

~*~

 

Steve was jogging around the mansion when he saw a pretty young woman slip out of one of the doors and make her way to the limo that was on the curb. There was no doubt she was one of Tony's girls. Steve sighed and kept jogging. _I'm hopeless._


	13. Big Trouble in Little Wakanda

"Shell-head."

 

"Cap?"

 

"I'm heading up to the balcony for lunch, care to join?", Steve asked with a plate of food in his hands.

 

"Sure."

 

Tony had been hoping to test out the stronger repulsors he had added to the suit, especially since it was the first time in a while that he'd been in his armor. But, he was playing the part of Iron Man, who happened to be Captain America's friend.

 

The two headed up to the balcony and sat down. They talked about topics revolving around the team for a while. Things like how it was harder with T'challa and Hank working in Wakanda, how Clint needed to stop trying to pull pranks on everyone, what would happen if Clint's pranks backfired and set the Hulk off - normal things.

 

"Is there something on your mind?", Iron Man asked eventually. "You seem distracted."

 

"Iron Man, we're friends, right? I know we have our disagreements, but overall we work well together."

 

"Yes, we're friends."

 

Steve sighed and looked over the balcony railing.

 

"Well I think I need a friend right now."

 

"What is it, Cap?"

 

Steve frowned.

 

"It's about the incident with Stark."

 

Tony knew this might be coming.

 

"We all know it wasn't your fault."

 

"That's what Jan said, and although I don't believe her, that wasn't what I was going to start with."

 

"What then?"

 

"I didn't try to kill Tony Stark.", Steve said, staring directly at Iron Man as if he could see through the faceplate.

 

"So is Mr. Stark making this up?"

 

"Not entirely. I did attack him, but it wasn't to kill him."

 

Steve crossed his arms and gazed out again.

 

"I don't know how to put this lightly."

 

Tony was growing warm inside his suit of armor.

 

"I tried to have sex with him."

 

Tony squeezed his eyes shut. There was no way that Mr. Spangly and Patriotic was coming out with this to Iron Man, and so directly too (although there was a distinct absence of the word "rape", but everyone had their limits).

 

"He didn't want it."

 

Steve rested his hands on the balcony and his head fell forward as he sighed.

 

"I don't know if it would've been better had I been trying to kill him."

 

"Captain-"

 

"It's worse because of how I feel about Mr. Stark. I-"

 

"Iron Man, Captain America, your presences are requested in the Assembly Hall.", JARVIS interrupted.

 

Tony let out a sigh of relief. He wasn't in the mood for hearing about how the Cap hated him.

 

He made eye contact with Steve, at least the closest thing he could make to eye contact with that helmet on.

 

"Don't worry. It wasn't your fault."

 

Steve shook his head. He didn't understand how Iron Man could be calm, especially since he was Stark's personal body guard.

 

"Sirs, Mr. Barton is becoming impatient. In his own words, 'You two better stop making out and get in here or I'll have the Hulk go get you.'"

 

Tony rolled his eyes.

 

~*~

 

"For an ex-SHIELD agent, you are very impatient.", Iron Man told Clint.

 

"You sure do a good job sounding frustrated even with that robotic voice."

 

"At ease, my brothers. We have news from friend Pym.", Thor said.

 

Jan flew up in front of the Captain and Iron Man.

 

"It's only a voice recording. We haven't listened to it yet - we were waiting for you two."

 

"Let's hear it.", Iron Man said.

 

JARVIS played the audio. At first there was only static, but then Hank's voice came in.

 

"Avengers? Wasp? Anyone?"

 

There was an explosion in the background.

 

"We need help. Someone's attacking us and we don't know who. Panther and I will hold them off for as long as we can, but I don't know how long we'll last."

 

Hank said something but it couldn't be heard past the noise of a round of explosions.

 

"Be careful. I...trap...help...need Iron..."

 

The recording went silent.

 

"We have to go now. All of us! Hank's in trouble!", Jan announced.

 

"Let's smash."

 

"No.", Clint said firmly.

 

"Why? We must aid our troubled friends.", Thor said.

 

"Clint's right.", said Steve. "We all heard it. Hank distinctly said the word 'trap'. We can't all go."

 

He turned to Jan.

 

"Hank's involved so they could very well be after you. You should stay here."

 

He turned to face everyone.

 

"Iron Man, Hulk, you're with me. Be ready to leave in 10. Hawkeye, Thor, you stay here with Jan and Mr. Stark. If Carol comes back from working with SWORD, send her our way."

 

"Aye, Captain."

 

Inside his helmet, Tony talked to JARVIS.

 

"Since I've got the armor and not Rhodey, there's no time for us to swap. He can't be here in 10. I need you to keep the lab closed to everyone and say that I'm in it. If they ask for visual proof, show them the video we recorded of me in the lab."

 

"Yes sir."

 

I hope this works.


	14. Initiate Protocol 74

We should be there in about 20 minutes, Captain America told Iron Man, who was flying next to the Quinjet. 

 

"Roger that, Captain."

 

The Hulk rolled his eyes.

 

"We'll land outside of the territory and survey the situation. It's no use going in blind.", the Cap said. "And then-"

 

"We smash!", the Hulk said, raising his arms and grinning.

 

Tony smiled. Smashing might actually feel good. If the Hulk was any example, it was good to get anger out.

 

It was a shame the team didn't make it that far.

 

Out of nowhere, jets appeared and they began firing on them.

 

"Cap, we're surrounded!", Iron Man exclaimed, firing his repulsors at the nearest jet. He took out one of the engines and the plane started to go down.

 

The Hulk, taking that as a cue, released the ramp into the Quinjet and jumped on a plane. It seemed, however, that the enemy was prepared for a Hulk-sized issue. As the jet sustained damage from the giant's fists, it released a purple mist-like spray into the air. Then, the Hulk smashed the jet's wing and it spiraled towards the ground, taking the green monster with it. About to jump off, the mist reached the Hulk's face and his eyes closed. His body went limp and he dropped straight down through the air.

 

"Did you see that, Cap?"

 

"These are some skilled opponents we are dealing with."

 

The Captain was right. As it turned out, the Hulk wasn't the only one that they were prepared to deal with. Two jets came at Iron Man and he shot his repulsors at them, only to hit one and miss the other. That gave the remaining jet just enough time to send out a black fog towards Iron Man. It made contact with the armor and JARVIS reported a safety breach. The armor's interior temperature control had been compromised.

 

"Shit.", Tony said to himself.

 

He kept on fighting, blasting the jet that attacked him out off the air and heading towards two that we're hot on the Quinjet's tail.

 

"You've got friends coming in. Two at 6 o'clock and one at 9. I'll take care of the ones on your tail. Pull up."

 

The Captain did as he was told, pulling up and then firing at the jet Iron Man hadn't claimed. Iron man unleashed his unibeam on the other two.

 

"Warning: Armor reaching critical temperatures. Failure to repair systems or remove armor will result in death."

 

Tony was sweating a river inside his suit.

 

"Not yet. Can't let Cap see. Come on Tony."

 

More jets came in. Tony saved the Quinjet from being hit by blasts from one, but another one came from the side and clipped the jet's left wing with a missile. Although it sustained damage, due to it having been designed by an expert, the jet didn't fall.

 

As the air battle continued, the suit's internal temperatures increased.

 

"Sir, I'm afraid that if you don't do something to fix this soon, I will be forced to initiate Protocol 74."

 

"Not. Yet.", Tony said between his teeth. 

 

The heat was overwhelming and was causing Tony to lose his focus. He fired at incoming ships.

 

"Sir, by my calculations, you have approximately 2 minutes before the protocol is initiated."

 

"No. I need. More. Time."

 

More blasts as Iron Man twisted around in the air and destroyed a jet. A missile shot past him and there was an explosion behind him. Registering what had just happened, he thanked the Captain. They had lasted a long time, but the battle was nowhere near won.

 

"1 minute and 30 seconds remaining."

 

Tony squinted his eyes and concentrated on an incoming jet. He missed the one off to his side and he was hit. The armor was knocked out of the sky and he fell down towards the forest. Just before his eyes shut, he saw the Quinjet explode.

 

"Captain, I'm sorry..."

 

~*~

 

Captain America hit the ground with a thud. Landing on his shield was not the greatest tactic of his, but it worked, probably only due to hitting the millions of tree branches that had separated him from the ground and slowed his fall.

 

"Iron Man, do you copy? I saw you got knocked out of the sky."

 

There was no response. Steve held his breath.

 

"Iron Man?"

 

"Captain America.", a voiced said over the comm, but the voice was not Iron Man's. It was JARVIS's.

 

"JARVIS?"

 

"Captain America, sir, Protocol 74 has been initiated. You are Tony Stark's only hope."

 

The comm went dead and Steve ran.

 

He didn't know what that meant, but something bad had happened. He knew that he had to find Iron Man before someone else did, so he headed towards where he saw the Avenger fall. Running at top speed, it took him merely minutes to get there. Seeing the metallic red and gold through the brush, he started shouting as he approached. Then, he stopped in his tracks, dead silent.

 

Before him, the Iron Man armor was open and without a pilot. Next to it was an unconscious Tony Stark.


	15. The Moist Air

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As requested by aishoren

The sound of rain was all around him and thunder boomed in the distant sky, but he was not wet. He was not even cold, but warm and almost...content. He was the calm in the middle of the storm. The storm full of heavy droplets and the smell of fresh mud. It was a good smell, except that there was no mud in Manhattan.

 

Tony's eyes opened and he saw nothing, but the sound of the storm did not leave him. It sounded close, like there was no barrier - no door or window - between he and the rain. It made no sense, so Tony's brain went to work. What else was around him?

 

There was dirt, which would most certainly explain the mud. There was something made of cloth on top of him, but it was too small to be a blanket. And there was a smell of training sessions and hard battles in the air. A smell of punches and tired smiles. A smell of...Steve.

 

Tony almost jolted up, but then he realized that there was also a faint sound of snoring and a soft warmth underneath his head. He figured that he was lying in Steve's lap....but why?

 

Tony carefully got up, his eyes almost fully adjusted to the unusual darkness around him. That's when he saw the rain. It was only a little bit ahead of him, pouring out of the sky. It did not hit them because they were in a cave. Tony's brows furrowed. He didn't understand. He looked over at Steve who was slumped against a wall. He could still only barely make out the figure, so he put his palm forward. Tony nearly jumped when he felt hot skin against his own. Steve was shirtless. Tony's hand fell to his lap and he felt the cloth again. It was Steve's shirt, there could be no mistake about it.

 

Eyes darting between the shirt, the sleeping Captain, and the rain, Tony tried to process what was going on. And then he got tired and hot. His entire body ached and said "no more". This was clearly not the time. Tony begged his muscles to give him mercy, to let him unravel his mystery, but they new his health better than his brain. So the genius fell backwards into the Captain's lap and his eyes closed swiftly, carrying him off into a dreamless sleep.


	16. The Calm

Steve felt a thump on his lap and his dreamless sleep was broken. His pupils grew at the darkness that met them and he sat waiting for his vision to return. Meanwhile, his ears picked up the sound of a heavy storm besides him. At least the rain was one thing that he had been right about.

When Steve's eyes were finally able to penetrate the darkness of the night, he saw the tense face of Tony Stark below him. He wondered if the man had woken up or if he had just moved around in his sleep. Tony's eyebrows furrowed and he shivered and muttered something, so Steve wrapped his shirt tighter around the other man.

Even sitting there with a war of the skies being raged beside him, Steve found that things were quiet. He appreciated this quietness, this pause in life. Tony was on his lap, deep in some dream, and so Steve had time before facing the true storm. This storm would not be made of water and lightning, nor of villains and blood. No, this storm was an emotional one, and at it's center would be Iron Man, or - as Steve had just found out - none other than the genius Tony Stark himself. 

Steve sighed and his hand wandered to Tony's hair. He delicately put his fingers into it, not thinking about what he was doing. After all, his entire world had just changed. How could he think of something other than what changed it? Tony Stark was Iron Man. Not some paid bodyguard, not a loyal friend, not even JARVIS - it was Tony. Tony who had no superpowers. Tony who wouldn't have any martial training if not for Steve. Tony who was an alcoholic and didn't even know his own feelings. Who was reckless and risked everything all the time. Tony who gave all of the Avengers homes....

Steve sighed again. Tony Stark was no longer just the man that allowed the Avengers comfort and security. He was the man that risked his all for them. It was a thought that made Steve want to punch things and to cry. He realized in that moment that he didn't know the real Tony Stark at all. He didn't know a man that he...

Steve's attention snapped down to the man in his lap. He was shivering even more now and the shirt was barely helping. Steve lightly shook his shoulders to wake him up, but even awake, Tony wasn't communicating easily.

"You're cold, will you let me help you?", Steve asked.

Tony gave a small nod, eyes only open a crack.

Steve went to work quickly, helping Tony out of his shirt. He then got down on the ground next to the other man and pressed his chest to his back, putting his arm around Tony and pulling him in close. Steve's skin was warm and it gave Tony some relief immediately and he fell back into his dreams. Steve covered Tony's chest with the two shirts and then closed his eyes. He tried to not focus on the smell of Tony's hair and skin, nor the feeling of having him so close as he drifted into a dreamless sleep.


	17. Static Air

Tony was being chased in his dreams. Darkness was following him and he could hear laughter. They were laughing at him, everyone was laughing at him. The space was getting smaller and the voices louder. He couldn't escape, his lungs were compressing in on themselves. The more he struggled, the louder the laughter grew. His hands frantically moved around, trying to grasp at something, anything. And then they met cool metal. He picked up an object and saw it to be the broken Iron Man helmet.

 

"Tony! How could you! You fool! You idiot!"

 

The laughter stopped. Now there was only the sound of Steve's angry voice. It shook Tony to his core.

 

"You have to understand!"

 

"Understand? I think I understand fine, Stark.", the voice said with disgust.

 

Tony squeezed his eyes shut and when he opened them, the voice was gone. So was the darkness. There was only a dim gray and the sound of rain and thunder. Tony let out his breath, which he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Then, he realized the position he was in. Around him was a very muscular arm, and against his back were the abs of a super soldier. He felt another face against the back of his, buried in his hair.

 

  
_Steve's holding me._ , he thought, face flushing red like a schoolgirl.

 

He just sat there for a moment, unsure what to do. Here he was, genius billionaire Tony Stark, symbol of confidence and intellect, as empty minded as a frog. He wondered if he should just wake Steve up. But then again, it could be embarrassing if Steve accidentally did this. He didn't feel like having an embarrassed super soldier to deal with. Although, maybe Steve wouldn't be one to be embarrassed. More like...ashamed at improper behavior. Not that Tony exactly minded.

 

He decided to try to get up without waking Steve. That's when he finally started understanding just how bad he felt. He got dizzy and felt too weak to get out of a woman's embrace, let alone an enhanced male supersoldier's. That left him two choices. He could either wake Steve up, or go back to sleep and let Steve come up with an answer. Confused by what his emotions were doing, and feeling physically worse by the minute, he went with the latter. At least Steve was keeping him warm.

 

~*~

 

Steve woke up with Tony's hair in his face. It smelled good, like shampoo, sweat, and oil. It smelled...real. It was an odd thing to think about, sure, but real is what Steve needed. He needed to think of Tony as someone real. It's not like he didn't...it's just that things were more complicated. He barely knew Tony before - or rather,Tony tried not to let Steve (or many people) know him. They didn't talk much outside of sparring, especially not after what had happened. Though Steve knew that Tony kept up a facade the entire time he was around Steve anyway. But Steve thought he saw past it, although it might've been just misplaced hope. Maybe not, though. There were a few times that Tony had let his guard down and Steve saw him for who he was. It matched what Steve thought he saw when he looked past the masks. When Steve found him drunk, for instance. Showed Steve that Tony worries. That he's stressed, but tries to take care of everyone else anyway. That even the arrogant man has troubles too. Made Tony seem real, and Steve liked real. Helped him deal with this world. But after finding out that Stark had been Iron Man the entire time...the man went back to not seeming real. 

 

Steve wanted to lay like this with Stark in his arms (as selfish as it may be) and think forever, but there wasn't time. And Stark likely didn't remember getting into this position, so he'd be upset if he woke up and they were still like this.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I've been updating the past chapters with revisions, but I really wanted to post a new chapter since it's been quite a while. I'll continue with my edits but will post new content too going forward. I did write this earlier and it's unedited, so feel free to message me at http://nat-fic.tumblr.com/ or just check there for updates about my works. 
> 
> Here ya go <3

When Tony awoke once more he noticed that the thunderous storm had become a light shower, his body hurt as bad as it had back in Afghanistan, and he was all alone. The great pain and fatigue that he was experiencing blurred his sense of reality and numbed his body to the signals that his brain was attempting to send, and yet he managed to prop himself up with his hands. Not without great effort, the wary man crawled a few feet across the floor of the cave and then slumped against a wall. His head ached, his body burned, and he was breathing hard, and yet he still made his best effort to calculate his predicament. There were certain, obvious, things that he knew for sure - Steve was gone, the remnants of his armor were in a messy heap on the opposite wall, and his identity had been revealed. Over time, other facts came to light in his barely functioning mind. Someone had attacked them, and in a manner that indicated that it was a trap. Furthermore, the attackers had weapons tailored to the Avengers that would be harder to take out. Hulk was missing and Tony had no idea what damage the purple gas had done to him, and there was no telling what biological effects the black gas had. It was quite a messy, messy situation, Tony realized, and he had to get out of it.

“You're thinking out loud.” A voice said from the entrance of the cave.

The tired inventor turned his head slightly and looked the blond man up and down. He was dripping wet, his blond hair sticking to his neck and forehead, and shirtless. The water dripped off of his distinct muscles and made them stand out even more than they would have had he been only shirtless and not soaked. In his hands were several large, round fruits, and on his face was a sad gaze.

“Steve...I thought you'd left.”

One side of Steve’s mouth curled up slightly in a weak smile. “Now why’d you think that?” He said as he sat the fruits down near Tony and walked over towards the armor. He bent down and messed with something for a few seconds before standing up again and walking over to sit a foot or so away from the genius. After he moved, Tony saw that the thing Steve had been messing with was the belt and its pockets from the Captain America suit. The brunette furrowed his brow and brought his gaze down to his lap, remembering the reason why Steve was shirtless.

He looked back up at Steve. “You aren't mad?”

Steve took a moment to respond, fidgeting with the object he had retrieved. In a few seconds, a fire lit up in front of them. Tony recognized the device as one of his inventions that he'd shown the team a while back (and tried to convince them to use). He had no idea that anyone thought to keep one on them.

“I am, but that doesn't mean I'll leave you. You shouldn't be alone...I don't want you to be alone.”

“Ahem.” Steve cleared his throat. “How are you doing, uh, Mr. Stark?”

Tony shook his head softly. “Tony is fine, I owe you that much.”

“It feels weird calling you that when we aren't friends...” Steve said, looking into the fire. “...except we are, aren't we? Iron Man and I didn't get along great all the time, but I thought we were friends.”

“You-We were.” Tony replied.

“So I guess we still should be?” Steve brought his gaze back to Tony, his blue eyes full of sadness as he looked the injured man up and down.

Tony couldn't bear to meet his gaze, so he directed his attention down towards the ground. “I’m sorry...” He said so softly. “I lied to you, to all of you. I didn't want to worry anyone. I didn't want to put anyone in danger for knowing me.”

“You could have just told the team, not the whole world.”

“I know. But I...I was scared, honestly.”

“Scared of what?” Tony could feel Steve’s gaze on him as he asked the brunette that last question. It was as if the other man was searching deep into Tony’s soul for an answer.

“I don't know.”

Tony felt Steve move his focus back to the crackling fire. Neither man said anything for a while, they simply let the rain fall outside and the fire burn within the cave.

Steve looked up above the fire to the wall behind it. “You know, honestly, it's not the lying that bugs me the most. It should be, it really should be, but it isn't. I'm so angry and disappointed and hurt, and it's not really at you. It's at myself. If I had known, I could have done more. I should have tried harder to let you know that it was okay. To let Iron Man know, I mean.”

“What are you talking about?”

Steve sighed and looked down at his hands, which he had folded in his lap. “Do you remember that night? The one we said we'd never speak of?”

Tony’s heart raced and he had no idea why. _What is he talking about?_

“You were drunk and I found you and you fell into me...”

_I did? His arms?_

“...and I carried you to bed.”

“Yeah, I remember.” _No I don't...I wish I did._

“I always thought you hated me, but I knew you respected the team. I was grateful to you but it was only business between us. In that moment, I really wished that I could have helped you. I can't imagine how alone you feel being a genius like you are, and having such a huge secret. If I had known, I could have helped. We could have been friends.” Steve looked at Tony.

“You pity me.” Tony said with a cold stare. His heartbeat was perfectly steady.

Steve's eyes widened a little with realization. “No, no. It's not that.” Steve looked down again. “It's not pity, trust me.”

“Tony, it's not just the drinking. It's everything. It's the loneliness, and protecting you - we could have done a much better job keeping you safe, and maybe I wouldn't have come so close to hurting you. I don't know how, but maybe being friends would have helped. I'm so sorry.” Steve closed his eyes. “I'm so sorry, Tony.”

“Oh.” Tony said softly. “It's not your fault. That's-that's not your fault.”

Tony reached over to Steve to touch his arm, but his body refused to support his movement. He fell forward instead, and would have hit his face against the ground if Steve had not been quick enough to catch him.

“Tony? Tony are you okay?”

“Yeah, I'm fine.” He said with a strained voiced.

“No you're not. Lie down. Here, let's cover you.”

Steve directed Tony to the ground and placed his uniform top as a blanket over the inventor. However, once the cold rock touched Tony’s skin, he began to shiver. It was made worse by the fact that the genius wasn't wearing a shirt, although he didn't recall why.

“Steve...” Tony’s speech was interrupted by noises of discomfort. “I know this is a really bad time but...would you help me? I'm so cold.”

“I...I can't. I'm sorry. I just-”

“I don't blame you.” Tony interrupted. “Please? It's the best way, that's just science.”

“I...okay, alright.” Steve rubbed his eyes.

“Good, because if I froze to death then I'd sue you.” Tony said with a whisper.

Steve chuckled and then rearranged the makeshift blanket so that he could slip under and press his chest to Tony’s back. At first touch, the inventor’s muscles tightened up, but they began to relax as the super soldier wrapped himself around the smaller man. Steve tucked one arm underneath his own head, and placed the other tightly around Tony’s chest. His chest fit snugly against the brunette’s, but he made sure to keep his hips from touching the smaller man’s body. Tony’s hair was right in Steve’s face, but the blond didn't mind; it was soft and smelled like machines and hard work...it smelled like Tony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PS: Has anyone figured out why it's called Protocol 74?


	19. Chapter 19

“We’re not leaving until you’ve recovered.” Steve stood firm with his hands on his hips, blocking Tony from exiting the cave.

“How long have we been here Cap? We need to go. We have to find Bruce and save T’Challa and Hank. We can’t stay here.”

“No, Tony. If we leave now, you won’t be able to make it. What if the enemy finds us? There’s no way you can fight back.”

“I’ve got this.” Tony said as he lifted his hand to show the Captain a metal glove which had been salvaged and modified from the destroyed armor.

“No.”

The two stared at each other for a few moments, engaging in a silent battle of wills. The only sound was the rain; the rain and a soft...thumping?

Steve turned towards the entrance of the cave, eyes attempting to pierce through the heavy downfall as he listened closely.

“What-”

Steve raised his finger and cut Tony off.

“Okay, we’re leaving.”

Moving swiftly, the large blond man made a mad dash towards the back of the cave, grabbing a few essential items as he ran past where they were strewn about the floor, and Tony’s hand. The genius’s arm was jerked forward as he opened his mouth in question, but to Steve’s surprise he snapped it shut quickly and glanced over his shoulder instead. As they ran, Tony produced a small object from his pocket, which he threw at the remaining pieces of his wrecked armor.

“What are you-”

Men with guns and armor ran into the cave from outside, and then there was an explosion. Without hesitation, Steve wrapped his arm around Tony and dove forward, getting them as far away from the blast as possible. They hit the ground with an “oof” as the rock caved in just a few feet behind them, cutting them off from their pursuers.

The blond soldier untangled himself from Tony and lent a hand to the other man.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah...” the brunette dusted his clothes off “but we should keep moving.”

Steve nodded and began to walk forward at a steady pace so that Tony, in his poor condition, could keep up with him.

“The problem is, where do we move too?” The blond said, stopping suddenly and looking forward.

The dim light of the inventor’s arc reactor revealed that they had come to a crossroads. There were three separate pathways that they could take, and no indication as to which one led out.

Tony smirked. “Just give me one second.”

He proceeded to fiddle with the metal glove on his hand, until it began to beep. As his smile widened, he extended his arm and slowly moved his palm in a horizontal line across each of the entrances, as if he was scanning them. When he was done, he brought the glove back towards his body and fiddled with it a little more.

“That way.” He pointed towards the left tunnel.

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

“And you conveniently made something that could help us out in this very specific situation?”

“I did indeed. I considered us having to run to be a possibility.”

Steve sighed. “Me too.”

~ * ~

Steve estimated that they had been walking for thirty minutes. So far, there were no signs that the soldiers had made their way past the blockade that Tony’s bomb had caused, but there was no way to say for sure that they weren’t being followed. The super soldier sighed as his mind ran over the various possible futures they could face, and what the best tactical decision was should each of them occur.

“The best thing that can happen now is for us to find a way out of these caves so that we can get you somewhere safe.”

“I agree that we need to get out, but I don’t need to be ‘somewhere safe’ if it means that my team is in danger. I know you want to run off and play hero, Steve, but you’re not going alone.”

“Mr-I mean Tony, I’m not letting you go into battle in your condition.”

“You’d let Iron Man do it.”, Tony retorted, perhaps a little more harshly than he intended.

“No, I wouldn’t! The fact is that you’re a hurt comrade and you need help. You’re not going to be able to save anyone in this condition!”, Steve said, voice raising.

“You sure about that Cap? Because if it was someone else behind the mask, not the idiot playboy Tony Stark, then you’d be fine with it. You trusted Iron Man before this. You trusted me!”

“That’s not the issue here!”, Steve practically yelled, and then his eyes went wide. “Tony? Tony are you okay?”

The injured man folded over onto his knees and started coughing.

“I’m _\- cough_ \- I’m”, a coughing fit prevented him from talking further.

Steve knelt down and pressed his hand to the sick man’s forehead. “You’ve got a fever. We need to get you out of here.”

The brunette coughed a few more times before finally managing to get some words out. “We’re...we’re near Wakanda. These are...old tunnels.” His breathing was getting heavy and his eyes were barely remaining open. “Here.”, he clumsily removed his gauntlet and handed it to Steve. “Use thi...”, Tony stopped talking as his eyes shut permanently.

“Tony? Tony!”, the man was still breathing, but in very poor condition. Steve looked at the gauntlet and furrowed his eyebrows before putting it on as quickly as he could without damaging it. As soon as he was done, he pressed his ear against Tony’s warm chest.

“Oh Tony...”

His heartrate was normal at least. Steve pulled away, all too aware of the dire situation, and wrapped the genius’s arms around his shoulders lifting him onto his back. He was determined to save his friend, even if it meant carrying him out of the cave.

~ * ~

_Huff, huff_

Steve was breathing hard, his muscles sore as he pushed onward. He had been walking for too many hours, afraid to stop and waste minutes that may have determined the life or death of one Anthony Stark. The collapsed man’s smell helped him to push through the aching of his muscles...he smelled like rain, oil, whiskey, and, most importantly, home. Tony Stark smelled like the Avengers mansions...or perhaps the mansion smelled like Tony. Either way, the sent pierced through the super soldier’s fatigue and urged him on.

According to Tony’s gauntlet, they were almost out of the cave. After some fiddling, the blond had figured out how to work the technology. Everyone back home loved to tease him about being a fossil - an old grandpa that was out of his league when it came to tech - but they all forgot that his specialty back in World War II was dealing with Hydra. And if there was one thing that Hydra loved more than anything else, it was fancy devices. Even back when he served, the vile organization had machines more advanced than many governments. Because of this, Steve became quite skilled at adapting to new technology quickly. After all, there is no better way to deal with deadly devices than to learn how to shut them down or, better yet, turn them on your enemies.

Sweat dripped from Steve’s forehead. He was almost there - he could feel it in his bones. The air was getting lighter and was slowly acquiring a sweeter scent, plus he was certain that the faint noises he heard in the distance belonged to the rain and the forest. Eager to get out of the awful caves, he began to count. _1, 2, 3..._

_...148_

There was light up ahead. It was merely a dot, but there was no doubt in Steve’s mind that what he saw was daylight. With a sigh of relief he allowed the sight to inspire him, and his walk turned into a jog.

 _I’m almost there..._ , he thought as the light grew brighter and brighter against the dark cave. _Tony will be safe. I will get him home._

Steve pushed forward towards the wonderful light - towards Tony’s safety. He knew that simply leaving the caves wasn’t enough, he had to get the genius to a doctor, but it was a good goal in the moment. With each step he felt the chances of Tony’s survival rise, and his spirits lifted. _I will get Tony home_.

As Steve ran faster and faster, the mouth of the cave grew closer and closer, until the light was blinding. A soft drizzle hit the blond’s face and his lips spread into a smile as his eyes adjusted. The forest was before them - they were out of the caves at last. Tony still had a chance of recovering!

_Ahem._

Steve snapped his head to the side and saw a figure leaning against the mountain that the pair had just gotten out of.

“Thank you for delivering him to me, Captain. I’ll take him from here.”

“No...”, Steve whispered, and then everything went blue.


	20. Chapter 20

Head throbbing, Steve opened his eyes to see a blurry, moving world. Nothing made sense - he was clearly in motion, although his muscles were heavy and he was unable to move them. It was as if his consciousness was trapped in a body that belonged to someone else, and there was no way out. The soldier attempted to blink away the haze that coated the world, and it actually worked a little. Through a light fog, he made out figures moving towards him but not getting any closer - their paced matched that of his body. They all had colorful blotches about their person...large blotches with familiar shapes. 

 

Steve blinked a few more times and realized that the blotches were his teammates...his friends. Two men had a mostly naked man between them, each soldier (Steve supposed, for they wore a dark armor and helmets) with an arm around his neck. A single man carried a woman with blonde hair and a red, blue, and yellow outfit.  _ She must've made it from SWORD only to fall into their trap _ , Steve thought. Another soldier had a scientist on his back, and the two men next to him held a figure dressed from head to toe in black.

 

The super soldier’s head dropped suddenly, and it took considerable effort to lift it back up. As he forced his eyes open, he realized that there were two long objects dragging on the ground in front of him. Only after a few seconds did it dawn on him that they were his legs. His consciousness slipping again, Steve focused on locating the only missing member of his team: Tony Stark. His eyes moved about as fast as they could, searching for the man he had been so intent on saving. Just as he caught a glimpse of what could possibly been identified as the genius’s face, the blond’s vision faded back to darkness.

 

~ * ~

 

Tony Stark blinked his eyes a few times and shook his head. Everything hurt - badly. The brunette took a few deep breaths before fully opening his eyes and assessing his surroundings. He was on the ground, pressed up against something cold and grey that extended all around him. Whatever it was appeared to have a decently sized circular surface made of stone. At regular intervals along the circumference of the circle were unevenly shaped rocks that jutted towards the heavens, all marked with engravings. Tied to each protrusion with chains was one of the Avengers that had been involved with the mission. And next to each of his teammates was an expressionless guard in armor plating wearing a helmet that covered his eyes. 

 

Tony propped himself up to get a better look around, and the he noticed the lifeless heap nearby. Even without only the pants, the star-spangled soldier’s uniform stuck out like a sore thumb on the desolate rock (which, as Tony observed, was sticking out of the ocean). 

 

“I see you're finally awake, Mr. Stark.”, a silky voice said from behind him.

 

Tony snapped around - he knew that voice.

 

“Alexandra.”

 

“It's the Cerulean Queen now.”

 

It was a fitting name for the woman that stood before him, her eyes glowing blue, along with her hair which moved about the air as if it was in water instead. She wore a gown that resembled a Roman robe with loosely hanging fabric that was only given shape by a belt, and a deep neck. The whole dress was made of a silky cloth in a shade slightly different from that of her features. All of the blue, with the added glow, made her very pale skin seem even paler.

 

His eyes narrowed, “I thought you were dead.”

 

“Of course you'd think that. You were the one that killed me.”, she replied, her lips curling wickedly at the edges.

 

“I didn't kill you.”, Tony said through clenched teeth.

 

The blue woman laughed cruelly. “You left me to drown at the bottom of the ocean.”

 

“What-”, Tony clenched his side as he was interrupted by a coughing fit, and she smirked in response.

 

“You’re mad.”, he finally managed once his coughing subsided. “I tried to save you, but you were too far gone. Alexandra,”, she snarled at the name, “you had so much potential. But you messed with things you shouldn't have.”

 

“Lies. I did what you always said to do - I took steps toward the future. You just didn't agree with my vision and tried to kill me. Well I survived. I'm back now and you are going to suffer.”, the sheer beauty of her voice did nothing to mask the poison in her words.

 

“And you're doing it with magic...to spite me...”

 

The woman kneeled down next to the motionless man on the ground. With one hand, she reached out and delicately cupped his chin. Tony’s heart nearly stopped as he watched.

 

“Not just with magic. I was going to have  _ him  _ kill you. Your beloved Captain America.”, her voice was soft and yet it seemed to wash over the entire area like a wave.

 

“It didn't work...”, Tony said, his voice barely a whisper.

 

“No.”, she responded in a frighteningly calm voice as she gazed upon the unconscious man’s face. “It didn't. But if there's one thing you taught me, it's that when a trial fails, you just do it again.”

 

The self-proclaimed queen looked up and suddenly her pupils disappeared into a glow that spread out from her eyes with visible wisps of light.

 

“It's time to try again.”

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The rest of the fic is complete. Three more chapters + an epilogue. Posting on Fridays. Thanks so much for continuing to read this!


	21. Chapter 21

The blue woman moved and, in a single swooping motion, placed her gorgeously shaped lips onto Steve’s.

Tony looked on the scene with horror as his stomach did a backflip. He clenched his fist unconsciously, jaw tightly shut as he gave the woman a deadly look.  _ “What the fuck is she doing?”,  _ he wondered.

The pale-skinned beauty pulled back slowly while biting her lip, and met Tony’s eyes with her own glowing, ghastly ones. Beside her, the super soldier opened his eyes. Underneath his eyelids, however, were not the sparkling blue beauties that belonged to him. Instead, where his eyes should’ve been clearly visible, was a glow that grew brighter and brighter until it had the same intensity as those of the witch.

The injured genius met the scene with an expression of horror. His heart began to race as his mind went through all of the possible reasons that Steve would have  _ “fucking glowing magical eyes” _ . Despite the superhuman capabilities of his brain, Tony could not think of a single explanation that didn’t end badly for him.

“Steve?”, he called out.

~ * ~

The ground was overgrown with soft, green grass, and smelled of dew. It was pleasant - the crisp air reminiscent of wishful poems - and yet unusual. The picturesque scene, complete with an old, shade-bearing tree, had an edge to it. Just a few feet from the trunk of the tree was a sudden drop that would prove dangerous to all but birds. The drop, however, was not the only unusual aspect of the land. Perhaps even more out of place was the fact that the piece of earth was levitating in the air and spinning ever so softly.

Steve brought a hand up to shade his eyes as he observed the floating island that he sat upon, unsure what to make of it. Carefully, he stood up in order to get a better look around. Testing his weight on the candy-green grass, he was assured that the unnatural island would not cave in beneath him. Grateful that he did not fall to his death, the blond peered over the edge of the piece of land.

Floating below the super soldier’s island were many more pieces of land, each of different shape and size. Some contained colorful flowers with wide petals, while others had bushes full of berries of all kinds. There were even a few with groups of trees on them - all of which had far reaching canopies composed of rich green leaves. Steve was unable to tell what, if anything, was below all of the islands. He only saw a hazy mixture of white and blue.

The blond took a step back from the dangerous cliff and stood up.

“Hello?”

There was no reply.

“Is anyone there?”

This time, the leaves above him rustled in response.

_ “There’s no wind...” _ , Steve thought as he tried to see what was in the tree above him.

Suddenly, a shadow flashed across the bottom of the leaves which sat above him - a very natural shadow indeed, as the sun was far, far above in the sky.

Steve’s eyes narrowed as instinctively reached behind him for his shield, doing his best not to reflect surprise on his face when the only thing that met his hand was air.

“Whatever you are, come out. I won’t hurt you.”, he said confidently as he took a stance that matched his tone of voice.

The shadow flashed back across the leaves again, and then the world went dark.

~ * ~

The blond swung his torso up and stood up, dusting off his tattered pants and taking a moment to stretch his neck before turning around to face Tony. His eyes were tainted by the glowing cerulean that Tony now knew was a mark of the “queen”. In fact, the super soldier wasn’t the only thing infected by the unholy color - the symbols carved into the grand pieces of rock that encircled the grey platform were all beginning to have that same glow. 

Tony ignored his accelerated heart rate and used a soft tone as he repeated himself, “Steve?”

Steve did not respond. His gaze was directed towards Tony and Tony alone, and yet there were no indications that he had heard, or even cared to hear what the genius had to say. In fact, nothing in the blond’s body language made him seem like his normal self.

“Do it.”, the Cerulean Queen ordered.

“Steve?”, Tony pleaded one more time.

There was still no sign that he heard his friend as the super soldier took a step forward.

~ * ~

The trees, grass, and all the islands in the sky melted into darkness as the air grew thicker and thicker, to the point that Steve found himself struggling to catch his breath. Then all of a sudden, everything was purple. A thin layer of sand sat atop a hard mauve crust of earth. Mountains the color of wine jutted out of the ground towards the sky. And the sky, well, the sky was a heavy, tumultuous fog of a plum shade. There was no sun in this purple world, only a lifeless, rocky landscape.

Steve glanced around, quickly assessing his surroundings, before searching for proof that whatever he had seen ended up traveling with him to the unearthly place he stood in. 

To his right, moving so fast that someone who wasn’t paying attention would’ve missed it entirely, was a dark figure.

Steve whipped his body around, desperately trying to identify where the shadow had gone. Deciding that there was no better course of action, he took off in the direction he had seen it go.

“Come back!”

Further down the mountain-guarded path that the blond was on, the earth was separated from the sky by an overhanging arch made of rocks. From this cave came a twisted, echoing laugh. 

_ “At least I know I’m heading the right way.” _ , Steve thought to himself as he raced forward into the darkness.

The laughter came again, this time accompanied by a voice.

“Not so fast...”

This time, there was a blinding flash of light.

~ * ~

The captain was not listening to Tony’s pleas. With the sound of laughter behind him, he continued making his way towards the genius that was lying in front of him. That genius was running out of time. 

Tony kept his eyes on his friend as he ignored the Cerulean Queen’s laughter and instead focused on a plan. Steadying his breathing, he allowed millions of ideas to fly through his mind.  _ “I can’t take him normally, let alone in this damn sorry state I’m in. At least he doesn’t have his shield, not that it matters right now - he can still kill me. What if...” _ , he took less than a second to calculate the distance between him and the nearest avenger.  _ “That will work, as long as I move at the right time. Too soon and he’ll have time to react. Too late and I’ll be....yeah, let’s not think about that.” _

Steve took one more step towards the brunette - the last step that he needed.

As he moved his muscles, Tony began to count.  _ “One...two...three...NOW!” _

The genius slammed both palms on the ground and thrusted his torso into the air, twisting his shoulders so as to roll over mid-motion. Half way through his plan, the pain hit. A searing sensation spread throughout his chest as his lungs constricted, making it nearly impossible to breath. Any chance he had of escape vanished as he dropped straight down, the sharp feeling of hitting rock only making the situation worse. Tony coughed a few times, unable to regain his breath, and then a strong hand clamped down on his throat.

Eyes wide and heart racing, the genius was caught.

~ * ~

The laughing continued as the light subsided and Steve regained his vision. The once opaque purple rock had transformed into a wall of semi-translucent blue ice. The image that the blond saw reflected in the shiny surface in front of him was one of a dirty, worn out man. His face was covered in dirt and his eyes had large circles underneath him. His blond hair was a mess and had clearly not been washed in some time.

Steve reached out, compelled by some mysterious force, to touch his reflection. As he made contact with the painfully cold ice, the image of a shadow in the shape of a man appeared in the ice beside his own.

“Wow you don’t look good.”, the shadow mocked.

Steve snapped around to face the figure, and this time the shadow did not run.

The dark shades that composed the man blurred out many of his features, but it was easy enough to see that he was of the same height and build as the blond. In fact, even without many of the distinct details that could be seen in a regular human, it was clear that the shadow belonged to one man, and one man alone - Steve Rogers himself.

“What do you want?”, Steve nearly growled.

“What do  _ I _ want? Why I only want you to face the truth.”, the dark version of Steve said with what one could possibly make out to be a smile.

“And what truth is that?”

“That Tony Stark is bad for you. He’s a drunk playboy that has  _ no _ friends. You’re not his friend, Steve, and you know that.”

“And how would you even know what Tony Stark is like? He’s a good man.”

“Steve, Steve, Steve - I’m you! I know everything you know. I’m that little voice in the back of your head that tries to point you in the right direction. And right now, that direction is away from Stark. Would a good man lie to you about being Iron Man? Is that man your friend?”

“He had his reasons. If anything, it’s my fault for not letting him know that he could tell us.”, Steve responded firmly.

“Do you actually believe that, Steve? Tony Stark, the man who has been drunk throughout most of his adult life - the man whose greed is the sole cause of the loss of millions of lives? Ha! You know better than that, Steve. This man is not Howard Stark.”

“No, he’s not. He’s better. And he’s my friend - I don’t care what you say.”

“Poor naive Steve. I wonder what Bucky would think? Bucky was a true friend, wasn’t he? He wouldn’t have hurt you like Tony did.”

“Bucky was a true friend, but that doesn’t mean that Tony isn’t either.”, Steve growled.

“Tony Stark is a monster! He doesn’t care for anyone! He didn’t tell you about Iron Man because he wanted to  _ laugh _ at you! To  _ mock _ you! And your foolish feelings!”, the shadow said as he grabbed his counterpart’s shirt.

The blond shoved the dark hands off of him.

The figure took a step forward in response. “He isn’t your friend, and he doesn’t deserve to live. End him.”

“Never.”

The dark version of the super soldier pulled back for a moment before lunging forward to tackle Steve to the ground. “Then I will.”

~ * ~

A strong hand held on tightly to Tony’s throat and lifted him up off of the ground. The owner of the hand looked through glowing eyes at his dangling victim. His capable hands squeezed hard enough to cause the other man pain, but did not act with quite enough power as to kill him. The silent soldier, whose face was devoid of emotion, waited patiently for a signal.

The Cerulean Queen, with a terrible grin on her face, folded her arms and tapped a single, long finger on her pale cheek.

“It would be too easy to have him kill you right now, wouldn’t it? I wonder how slowly it can be done...how long I can make you stare at the face of your idol knowing that he’s the one about to take your life.”

She laughed and held her palm out, allowing it to accrue her signature vibrant blue energy. With a single motion, she drew her hand back and flicked her wrist towards Steve.

“Kill him. Slowly.”

Tony’s lungs were not taking in any air, but it was due to panic rather than the fact that he was being strangled by his friend. His hands flew up, grasping at the soldier’s unmoving fingers in a futile effort to free himself. As the pain slowly intensified, he became convinced that he was going to die. In one final attempt to prevent his inevitable death - and perhaps, although Tony did not consciously realize it, a final try at at saying goodbye - Tony called out Steve’s name.

~ * ~

As Steve fell backwards onto the ice, he attempted to slam his fist into the shadow, but was unable to make no contact. The figure laughed as the soldier’s hand passed right through his smoky incorporeal body. The blond swung again with the same results, despite the fact that the figure was able to do physical damage in return.

The shadow man brought his fist up high in the air and then back down right towards Steve’s face, but was too late. The well-trained soldier managed to roll out of the way just in time to avoid being hit. Quickly, he sprung up onto his feet and put his arms up in a defensive position. 

All of a sudden, there was a terrifying boom up above in the sky which the ceiling of the ice cave blocked from view. The tremendous sound of thunder carried into the cave and echoed throughout the entire tunnel. Following the noise, the soldier heard a voice in his head calling his name - a voice that belonged to Tony Stark.

At first, the sound startled him, but then he decided to use the familiar voice to focus his mind. Steve’s eyes narrowed as he took in a deep breath and lunged forward.

“You can’t hit-”

The shadow’s taunts were cut off by the heavy impact that the soldier’s fist caused. The figure stumbled backwards, recovering his balance rather quickly.

“That hurt. I think you need to learn a lesson and listen to me for once. You’re too stubborn. It’s time for someone else to be in charge!”, he yelled his last sentence as he stepped forward with a kick.

The soldier deflected the kick, but was thrown off guard by the second one that followed. Taking the hit to his chest, he kept his eyes on his opponent and countered with a series of punches followed by a sharp attack with his knee to the figure’s solar plexus. All but one of these strikes made contact and pushed the shadow backwards out of Steve’s range.

The dark man coughed a few times before grinning and slamming his foot down onto the icy surface below them. It shattered immediately, as if a huge shockwave had been sent through it, and erupted in a path that led straight towards Steve. The blond was thrown backwards and landed heavily on his back and began coughing up blood.

“You can’t win. I have more power here - the odds just aren’t fair.”

Inside his chest, the soldier felt a deep emotional burning. He had absolutely no intention of losing the fight. Breathing heavily, he forced himself back onto his feet, all the while keeping his eyes on his enemy.

“I know I’m going to win.”

The figure laughed, “How? How can you possibly think that?”

Steve ran at the shadowy version of himself, scooping up a handful of ice and chugging it at the figure’s face just before he brought his fist up for an attack. 

“Because I’ve done it before!”

The soldier’s hand went out full force and made contact, completely penetrating into his opponent milliseconds before a piercing pain hit his own chest and knocked him backwards. 

Both Tony Stark and Steve Rogers dropped to the ground.

Through deep, audible breaths, Captain America looked up from where he was kneeling at the Cerulean Queen. Then, he lunged.


	22. Chapter 22

The Cerulean Queen gasped before instinctively twisting her fingers into a claw and then shoving her hand forward, releasing all tension in that limb. A blast of blue energy shot out from her towards Steve and sent him flying backwards through the air. As he hit the ground, two guards rushed towards him with their guns extended.

The soldier felt the piercing pain in his side where he’d made contact with the floor, and ignored it as he brought his eyes up to where Tony was lifelessly lying. He resisted the urge to leap back into action and instead forced himself to stay down while calculating a new plan.

Meanwhile, the blue witch snarled at Steve’s fruitless attempt to take her out. “I don’t know how you resisted me! Not this close, not when I have this much amplified power.” She did not wait for an answer. “If I can’t have his precious fucking Captain America kill him, then I’ll do the second best thing.”

She flicked her wrists towards her guards whose eyes could clearly be seen, despite their helmets, to have the same eerie glow that Steve’s once held. The two nearest to her moved to where Tony was and lifted him up by draping his arms over their shoulders.

“Hmph. Conscious, but dying too quickly to chance him surviving long enough to wake up. This will have to do.”

She curled her fingers in a swift motion and the obedient men brought the brunette genius to the edge of the circular rock elevation.

Steve’s heart beat beat faster and faster as his eyes tore themselves from the scene. In the few seconds it took for their opponent to move her lips, he began to formulate a plan. He knew that his chances of saving his friend were slim, and the chance of getting everyone out alive even slimmer, but he had to try. His plan was too quickly thrown together, too messy, and had too high a risk of not succeeding, but it had to do. It was the only thing he had.

“Thrown him in.”, she said, and Tony fell.

Without another thought, the soldier’s hand flew to his belt, which was still miraculously clinging to his hips despite all the wear his clothes had been through. Inside it, his fingers quickly snatched one of the objects that he had made sure to take from the camp site in the cave. Before anyone had noticed his movement, he flung the thing into the center of the platform and then rolled to the side.

The small silver ball hit the ground, bounced, and then exploded into a massive cloud of thick black smoke. 

Steve, who knew exactly where the witch was, lunged at his opponent, knocking her out in the process. It only took a single hit for her to drop, as it was magic and not combat that she was an expert in. As she fell to the ground unconscious, he heard the sound of groans all around him, followed by bodies hitting the hard rock that held everyone up.

He did not wait for the smoke to clear to confirm that his plan had been successful. Immediately after knocking the queen unconscious, the soldier ran towards the edge of the platform at full speed and dived off, launching himself directly into the ocean below. The resourceful man used his knowledge of diving, which he had gained many years prior in army training, to adjust his body in order to accelerate quickly towards the water.

In the brief amount of time he had before he made contact with the ocean, he was able to identify a spot in below him where the water had been displaced - the spot where Tony had hit the ocean.

His insides twisted as he pictured his drowning friend.

And then he hit the water. The salty liquid enveloped him, so cold that the exposed skin on his face and naked torso was in pain. His eyes stung as he kept them open and, despite the shocking sensation that the cold water had caused, his lips remained tightly sealed to keep in large inhale he had taken just before plunging into the sea. Before him, gently drifting into the deep blue abyss, was an unconscious brunette.

Steve used his hands and feet to propel himself towards his friend, racing to get to him in time to save his life. The soldier got closer and closer, until he was just within arms length of the drowning man. He reached out his arm and grasped at the brunette’s shirt, but the cloth slipped between his fingers.

Tony sunk further into the darkness, and further away from seeing another day alive. His body  was limp as it drifted down into the ocean and out of the soldier’s reach. There was no struggle to be seen - no great fight at saving his own life. As he melted into the ocean, the brave man allowed death to gently pull him into her bosom.

And Steve was not going to allow that. He poured all of his might into thrusting his body towards his friend, and with one great push of his arms, he was once again able to reach Tony. He extended his right arm as his left continued to work on getting him closer, and grabbed at his friend's wrist. This time, he made contact and refused to let go.

Successfully holding onto Tony’s wrist, Steve pulled the other man’s body towards his own chest and wrapped an arm around the genius’s waist. He tightly held their bodies together, unwilling to let Tony out of his grasp, and used all of his available limps propelled them towards the surface. As he swam, his mind thought of nothing aside from his one goal: making sure Tony Stark lived another day. He was too preoccupied with saving his friend’s life to feel the heavy beating of his heart against his chest, right at the spot where the brunette was pressed against him.

Finally, the light became brighter and the cold air hit his wet skin, signifying that they had reached the surface. The soldier blinked the salt away from his eyes as allowed himself to inhale a deep breath of fresh air, but the body in his arms was still lifeless. Not wasting any time, the blond swam straight for the rock platform that was next to them and found a groove in the rock suitable for placing his hand on. With all his might, he pulled upwards, moving his body and the genius’s out of the freezing water. Luckily, the side of the elevated rock was irregular and not too difficult for a super soldier to climb.

They reached the flat surface of the rock and Steve hoisted Tony over the edge before climbing up himself. The soldier wasted no time rolling his friend onto his back and checking if he was breathing.

He was not.

The soldier placed his hands on the brunette’s chest and pushed several times before wiping the wet strands of blond hair out of his face and leaning over. With one hand he pinched Tony’s nose as he brought his mouth towards the other man’s. There was a brief second of hesitation - a mere pause - before forcing air into the brunette’s mouth through his own. He repeated this process several times, pressing on the other man’s chest before trying to get air into his lungs. Nothing was happening; the once vibrant face of the man before him was absent of life and his body was motionless.

Steve choked back a yell and forced himself to try again - forced himself to believe that there was still hope for the man that he-

Tony coughed badly, expelling the water from his lungs, and rolled onto his side. Grasping at his stomach, he continued to cough until he regained his breath and was once more able to take in oxygen, albeit through heavy breaths. Once his breathing had stabilized, he looked up through thick eyelashes at the shirtless blond in front of him. “Steve...?”

Upon hearing his name, Steve found that he could no longer control himself. He reached forward and took the brunette’s head between his strong hands and firmly pressed their lips together. Tony tasted like a mixture of oil, salt water, and dirt - and it was perfect. The soldier could not break away from the hungry kiss in which he poured all of his deep-seated feelings. After a few seconds, Tony reciprocated and even placed his hand on top of the soldier’s.

Even when Steve was finally able to break away, he could not tear his sight from the sparkling eyes that looked up at him.

The words slipped out before Steve could stop them, “I love you.”


	23. Chapter 23

The sun was setting over Avengers Mansion as Tony leaned on the balcony railing, inhaling full breaths of crisp air. Behind him, he heard a door slide open. A muscular blond man stepped out him, rubbing the towel in his hands against his face and hair once more before draping it over the edge of a chair and joining the genius in his calm posture. For a moment they sat there in silence.

“We both know you shouldn’t be out here, Mr. Stark.”, the man said without turning his head.

Tony sighed, “Don’t call me that.”

The blond chuckled in response. “Seriously though, Tony, you need to be resting.”

“It’s been a few weeks, Steve. I’m fine.”

Steve shook his head and glanced to the side, blue eyes studying the man beside him. “You’ve been through a lot. That gas and not receiving medical attention immediately, nearly being drowned, not to mention that foolish stunt you pulled-”

The genius cut his friend off with a sideways glare, “That ‘foolish stunt’ saved your ass, Mr. America. I wouldn’t be commenting if I was you.”

The conversation turned the genius’s thoughts back on the topic he had been thinking about before Steve interrupted his solitude. His mind had been on the ritual circle on the ocean, the one that the Cerulean Queen had brought them to. He remembered slipping slowly into the dark, the one that no one can return from, and being shoved back into the light so suddenly that he began to cough. He recalled that Steve’s face was the first thing he saw upon his return to the land of the living...it had been so full of worry. And the, of course, he had felt warm lips against his own, lips that were all too indescribable with their unique passion, taste, and... Well Steve had said something after that kiss. Something that Tony was absolutely sure that he had heard wrong. Every time he thought about it, his chest tightened and his heart increased its pace. Before he had the chance to ask about it, on of the witch’s soldiers had woken up and was about to attack Steve. Tony, of course, stopped him, although he made his injuries even worse in doing so. That was the stupid incident that Steve had been nagging him about. As stupid as it was, it gave the soldier enough time to figure out that the queen was conscious again and take her on. Meanwhile, Tony did his best to get the other Avengers awake and out of their restrictions. Overall, it was a successful endeavor.

The soldier laughed at the genius’s retort. “You know, Tony, I enjoy this side of you. It’s what made me want to be friends with Iron Man.”

The genius’s smile faded. “No.”

“No what? I didn’t say anything.”, Steve said.

“No I’m not telling the rest of the team. You were going to start harassing me about it again just like after the incident.”

“Is that why you’ve been avoiding me?”, Steve replied softly.

“What?”, Tony turned to look at him.

“I haven’t seen you since right after dealing with that awful woman. Is it because you think I’m harassing you? I’ll stop.”

“No I’m not avoiding you. It’s...one thing at a time. I don’t want everyone to know my identity. I need to protect the people I love and also, they won’t like me. They like Iron Man. You said it yourself, Iron Man is the side that everyone loves. Once they realize that he’s an alcoholic reckless playboy that doesn’t love anyone but himself-”

“Stop.”, Steve placed his hand on Tony’s shoulder.

“I accepted you.”

“I still don’t know why!”

“Because all the awful things you tell yourself are not true. They’re not true Tony! You are loved and you need to accept that.”

“You’re telling me that you weren’t upset when you realized I was Iron Man?”

“No. I was upset.”, Tony looked away and Steve frowned. “Not because of you. I thought it was my fault. You’re a genius and an inspiration. Even if I wasn’t friends with ‘Tony Stark’ before all of this, I still looked up to you and felt a lot of gratitude towards you. You provide us a home, and it’s not for press. It’s because you genuinely care. And I was upset that I wasn’t the kind of person that someone as wonderful as you could trust. I thought it was my fault, okay? I still do.”

The genius brought his eyes up again, “It’s not. You’re my fucking idol, you know that right? I mean, you have to. I’m sure I remember the blue witch saying it for the world to hear. That’s why you were supposed to kill me.”

“But I didn’t. Not the first time, and not the second.”

“Why?”, Tony asked, curiosity suddenly overpowering all of his other thoughts and feelings.

“I don’t know. I have an idea but...you don’t want to hear it.”

“I do.”

“No you don’t. Not after what I tried to do to you.”

“You were under her control both times, it wasn’t your fault. Tell me.”

“No. We both know you don’t want me to say it. I knew you weren’t avoiding me because of the identity thing. I know it’s actually...you know. Let’s not do this.”

Steve turned to leave, but Tony grabbed his wrist and stopped him.

“Tell me.”

“I already did.”, the blond’s voice was soft.

“Again. Tell me again.”

“I love you.”, it was barely a whisper.

Tony’s stomach flipped. How could Steve Rogers, Captain America, the most perfect man in the world love him.

“No you don’t.”, he replied in an equally quiet tone as he let go of Steve’s wrist.

The other man turned around completely and stepped close to Tony.

“Yes, yes I do. I love you Tony Stark.”

“Why me?”, Tony looked up at the taller man.

“I don’t know, but I’ve tried denying it for a long time. I know you don’t want to hear it, and I’m sorry.”, despite what he was saying, the blond made no more motions to leave.

Tony took a deep breath. “Maybe you’re not the only one that feels that way.”

He reached up and wrapped his fingers in the other man’s blond hair, pulling him down into a kiss. As the sun fell beneath the horizon, Tony knew what it was like to be happy. He learned that happiness was tangible, and that it tasted like salt and oranges and, most importantly, home.

 

**The End**


	24. Epilogue

“I think it’s cute that you idolized me so much.”

The brunette grumbled and blushed (although he’d never admit to doing the latter) as the man whose arms were wrapped around him continued with the teasing.

“Did you have the Captain America posters? The original line?”

Tony adjusted himself, pressing his bare back even tighter against the muscular skin of the super soldier that was holding him. The air in the room was a bit too chilly for his tastes, but he didn't mind it for, even though he was covered only by a thin sheet, the warmth that emanated from his companion kept him feeling comfortable and content. He was sure, however, that he'd feel even better if the gorgeous blond would shut up.

“I still have them.”

Steve laughed into Tony’s hair.

“What? Do you know how long it took me to get them?”

“A long time, I'll bet.”

There was a pause in the blond’s teasing, and Tony was hoping it meant that the other man had fallen asleep.

“Jarvis told me that the password to some of your major files was ‘Star Spangled Soldier’.”

“ _ Was _ \- I changed it. And I'm going to kill him.”

Tony debated whether or not to say his next thought to Steve.

“I can't believe I didn't see...this...coming from a mile away. It was just passwords - I named a lot of things after you. You remember Protocol 74.”

“I never want it to be accessed again, Tony.”, Steve suddenly responded in a stern tone. “JARVIS shouldn't have to have a special program that overrides your wishes in life-or-death situations - just don't get in them!”

“We’re heroes. That's how it is.”

The blind grumbled. “Well you should be able to make the right choices yourself.”

“As I was saying, it's always said ‘Protocol Seventy-Four’. The correct way to say it is ‘Protocol Seven Four’”

“Oh.”

The blond stopped complaining and instead places small kisses on the exposed skin on Tony’s neck. The brunette couldn't help but let out a small moan.

“You've always been a trouble. A voice in my head telling me to do the right thing. I just didn't realize it until the incident. I couldn't stop thinking about you-

“Or being held down.”, the other man muttered in between kisses.

Tony snickered, “- after that and it drove me nuts.”

“Well you have me now, Mr. Stark. When are you going to tell the team?”, the kisses moved to the genius’s shoulder and upper back.

“Ah-you're evil.,” Tony hummed, “I'm not sure.”

“They know about Iron Man, have for months.”, Steve mumbled.

“Yeah, but us? Won't that hurt your 40s ideals? You're already stepping way beyond your comfort zone being with me, but telling everyone else?”

“You're dying to tell them, and I'll be fine.”

“Who wouldn't want to say that they're doing it with Captain Fucking America?”

Steve laughed and Tony lightly grazed the top of his companion’s nearest hand in a back-and-forth motion.

“It's not about the sex. I mean that's good - A+ - I just want to share my excitement. I can't believe you picked me.”

“Let’s tell them then. I promise I'm okay.”, his lips were on the brunette’s spine at that point.

“I'm not going to be okay if you keep doing that.”, Tony said as let out a groan.

~*~

“All Avengers report to the Meeting Hall.”, JARVIS’s voice rang throughout the hallways of the Avenger’s mansion.

One by one they trickled in until everyone was present. Even T’Challa was there as he had been staying in the US for the past week. 

“What is it Cap?”, Janet asked after they had all gathered in the high-tech room. Everyone looked on eagerly, especially Tony, who was rather confused as to why a meeting had been called. He said nothing, although he did take the seat closest to the Captain.

“I'd like to talk to you all about something.”

“A foe?”, Thor boomed as the Hulk grinned.

“No, something else. You're all my friends, my family, and as such I want to share happy news with you. In our lives, we strive to protect this great nation and its citizens, as well as all the citizens of earth.”, he nodded to T’Challa.

“This does not mean we can't have our own personal lives. Some of us are kings,”, he motioned towards the two royal members of their register. “Some are well-known designer-slash-scientists.” Janet grinned. “And many of us simply live normal lives striving for normal experiences. We want to have friends and a family, to get married and meet people. What I'm trying to say is,”, he glanced at Tony whose expression was gradually falling to one of confusion and worry. “I'm sorry. I'm doing this wrong.”, he shook his head.

“Tony, please stand up.”

Tony did, lifting an eyebrow as he did so.

Steve reached out and put a hand on the other man’s shoulder. “This is Tony Stark. To everyone here, he is the wonderful friend that supports the Avengers and sacrifices his safety as Iron Man.”

The soldier’s grip tightened and he pulled the other man towards him. Without giving a signal to let his companion know what was going on, he placed a warm kiss on the startled genius’s lips. Tony instinctively melted into the kiss, causing Steve to lose himself for a split second.

“To me, he's my boyfriend.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, Protocol 74 is officially done.
> 
> If you've read it this far, thank you for taking the time to read my work!
> 
> This has been fun, and I'm glad I got to write it all. I'm Nat-fic (www.nat-fic.tumblr.com) if you'd like to tell me what you thought or read other stuff I write.


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